


The Price to be Paid

by Takada_Saiko



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Gen, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 21:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 99,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1442878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takada_Saiko/pseuds/Takada_Saiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Was he really worth all that trouble? Every bit of it. Rumplestiltskin has lost his son and once he gets his dagger back, there's no stopping him, no matter the price to be paid. Picks up from 3x16. Rumbelle. Swanfire. OutlawQueen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I think I've been bitten by the AU bug. I blame Robin4 personally, but hopefully I'll write well enough she won't mind the blame. This starts up just after last weeks' episode (3x16) and will diverge from there. You have been warned.

He'd grown used to the smell fairly quickly. He thought he had, anyway, but his arrival back in the outskirts of Storybrooke had been a jumble of voices, thoughts, and desperation hidden under the guise of madness. Clear thoughts had been a rarity and never fully formed. He must have had a plan when he'd reached out to save his son, but now he couldn't grasp it. Whatever he'd been planning, whatever goal he'd desperately set to ensure his safety had been lost to the madness.

Now the voices were quiet. Bae was gone, both from his mind and from his life. Zelena had made a point to remind him that his life's work was done, not because he'd completed it, but because his son was dead. Rumplestiltskin curled up into the corner of the cage, another deep sob welling within him. The cellar smelled like death and in that moment he wondered if he could find a way to follow Baelfire. It would keep the precious few he still cared about safe from him.

The cellar door creaked open and bits of light fell in. It didn't help the smell. In fact, her presence made it worse. Her footsteps sounded slowly down each step, the small heel connecting with the old, rotting wood in a way that sent spikes of pain shooting through his skull. She had the dagger. She  _always_  had the dagger.

"Good morning, Rumple. Sleep well?" Zelena asked, though her tone proved she knew better. It was that same sugary-sweet voice that she used that made him want to rip her throat out. Instead of answering, he shot her the cruelest look he could muster from his place on floor of her cage and she continued to smile. "I suppose not. You don't sleep at all much anymore, do you? The nightmares keeping you awake?"

"Go away," he rasped.

She moved forward, a bowl of that mush she liked to call food in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "But I brought you breakfast," she answered cheerily and knelt to put it down at the small opening in the bottom.

Rumple pulled his knees up to his chest, doing everything he could to ignore her. After a moment, he could hear that damn pout in her voice. "Your curse won't let you starve, Rumple."

Despite the pain set deep in his chest, Rumplestiltskin chucked. He unfolded himself and stood very slowly, her gaze fixated on him as he did and he met it. The sudden eye contact was making her uncomfortable. Good. He wrapped long fingers around the bars, something that had always made his captors in the Enchanted Forest strangely uneasy, like he would melt through them and leave them in pieces. He pressed his face right up against the cage, never breaking eye contact with her. "You may hold my dagger, Zelena, but when I get it back - and I  _will_  get it back - there'll be no stopping me. No matter how hard you fight, you'll never beat me, dearie. You're not nearly as good as you tell yourself you are."

Her smile returned. "Oh, Rumple, for all your foresight you just don't see." She wrenched the cage door open and the knife was in his face, pushing him back against the far side. His hands were raised in defense, but it would do little good should she decide to use it. "I've already won. I have you, and I can use you however I please. And I do please." She leaned close and he pulled back as best he could. She'd had a terrible, twisted fascination with him when she'd been young and it had only gotten worse with time.

"On your knees, Dark One," Zelena breathed and Rumple hit hard. "Now be a good little pet and stay. And if that pretty little Belle if yours tried to come down here again you're to kill her. Slowly."

Rumple couldn't bring himself from his knees again even as she left. He remained, body refusing to obey his own orders as the curse bent it to its new master's will. He grit his teeth, fighting it, pulling against it, and after the struggle had washed out of him he relented.

_It's futile._

She could control his body and she could control his magic, but she had no dominion over his thoughts. It was his one solace, so at least he had a chance to push away the image that her lest order had left him with and plan.

* * *

Belle had known the moment that she'd admitted that she loved him that the road would not be easy. Rumplestiltskin was a deeply layered man that hid behind ever-shifting masks, and just when she thought she had figured something out about him, another layer revealed itself and she had to reevaluate. Most of the time that kept things interesting - not that life with with Rumple was  _ever_  dull - but she had been so certain this time that their love could shatter the hold that witch had on him. It had been strong enough in the beginning to break his curse, if he'd let it, and once they'd been reunited it had only grown.

_Run._

She'd felt the stir around them that had nothing to do with True Love and it had frightened her. In that moment she had realized, truly realized, that if Zelena had ordered it his hands would have been around her throat without hesitation, and she'd run from him.

Belle sniffed, reaching across the cluttered table that he'd tinkered at endlessly during the terribly brief time of peace that they'd had between the chaos. Her fingers latched onto the chipped tea cup and she felt tears sting her eyes. If she'd been braver, maybe should could have helped him. If she hadn't listened to his own desperate plea she would have held on and kissed him. It might have shattered the hold. It could have shattered the hold. She should have tried. It would have been better than the way she'd fled from him, taking the stairs two at a time and flinging herself into Tink's arms like a child. It had killed her to find him screaming that terrible woman's message as if he were just a tool she could deliver it by.

Rumple's expression had been so tortured on Main Street, though. Their eyes had met only briefly there and she'd seen the pain. It had worked its way into her, deep and sharp at first, but left a numbness in its wake that might eat her alive if she let it. He hadn't looked at her again, not until just before he'd flashed out of sight at the end of the sisters' battle and he had looked like he wanted to say something to her, to reach out to her, but he couldn't. She'd given him orders that he couldn't work around.

The sound of the bell announcing someone's arrival at the front startled her and she set the cup down carefully. Pull it together, she coached herself as she stood, dabbing at her eyes and blinking away the tears that hadn't quite fallen. He wasn't dead. It wasn't over yet.

No one had called out yet or simply walked into the back, so Belle didn't think it was Emma or David there to ask for help in research of some kind or another. She would have preferred that it was so that she'd have something to focus her mind on rather than sinking deeper than she already was. She'd done her own, of course, finding the majority of Rumple's library having come with them as it had the first time and that terrible book that had explained all about the Vault of the Dark One sat on the work table. She hadn't touched it again since the day that Baelfire had died, but she couldn't quite bring herself to put it away either.

Belle was greeted by an empty shop as she pushed back the curtain that separated the front from the office. It was quiet, the mid-morning light filtering in through the windows and the door, the sign flipped to open and no one waiting to be helped. An unease took hold and her clear eyes darted from one corner to the other. Zelena had stopped by before when the younger woman hadn't known who she was, but she wouldn't be caught unaware again.

The nervousness dissipated almost immediately as Henry stepped out from behind a cabinet and Belle breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, Henry."

"Hey," he greeted back. "Belle, right?"

The first real smile in days touched her lips. "That's right."

"You were at my dad's funeral. I didn't know you worked here. Did you know him?"

"Your dad?" The smile was gone again and Belle felt the numbness spreading once more. "A bit," she murmured after a moment.

"Everyone seems to have known him here, at least a little," Henry said, his voice turning sad at the end. "Except me."

"Well, I may not have known him well enough to give you too much insight, but Mr Gold did."

"Really? Is he the owner of this shop? I haven't met him yet."

"He's been… away," Belle answered carefully.

"Is he coming back?"

"I certainly hope so. He had…" Her voice trailed off as she rounded the counter, eyes searching the higher shelves for the item that had suddenly struck her as being important. Rumple would want Henry to have it, if he were here. He'd have wanted the teen to have any link possible back to his father. To family. "There it is," Belle announced a she pulled a waiting stool over to the wall and climbed. She had to tip up on her toes, even in her heels, to reach the shelf.

Henry approached slowly, dark eyes that were so like Bae's which had been so like Rumple's locked on the leather ball in Belle's hands. She eased herself off the stool and handed it to him with a friendly smile. He took it, fingers moving over the aged leather, feeling at the stitches there and finally he looked up, waiting for an explanation. "From what Mr Gold has told me, this was your father's when he was young."

"Looks a lot older than that."

"I believe it is." She watched him turn it over in his hands and her phone buzzed in her pocket and she motioned that she'd be right back. Henry continued to study Bae's kickball as Belle made her way into the back, flipping the phone open. "Hey, Emma."

"A few of us are over at Granny's and are talking over plans about getting Gold's dagger back. You in?"

"Stealing it back?"

"Well, that's the only way we keep Zelena from using him to kill us all."

"Yes. Yes, of course. I'm for anything that helps us get Rumple back."

"Hey, Belle? What's this?" Henry called from the front.

"Was that Henry?" Emma demanded from the other end of the line and Belle suddenly felt like she was somehow responsible for helping the teen break away from Granny's without an escort. He didn't know how dangerous it was to be wandering around the streets of Storybrooke. Zelena likely wouldn't care about his age. If she knew that he was Bae's son or - heaven help them - ever found out that he had once been Regina's adopted son, she'd be after him faster than any of them could blink. Emma had a right to sound worried.

"It is. He stopped by the shop. Where are you meeting? I'll make sure he gets back to Granny's safely before I go."

Emma told her that they'd be at the diner anyway and Belle clicked the phone shut, grabbing for her jacket and the keys that were pocketed there. "What's what, Henry?" she asked as she shuffled some books that she was hoping would be useful into a bag and walked into the front of the shop, shrugging the coat around her shoulders.

The teen held up a brown book with gold lettering.  _Once Upon a Time_  the title read and Belle felt her breath catch. She'd heard so much chatter about the book that had started Henry on his quest to begin with but had never actually seen it for herself. It looked a bit tattered, like the curse had hardly been kind to it, but there was something in the way he held it with such care that made Belle wonder if he knew its importance somewhere behind all of the false memories and confusion. He looked a bit more like the boy that had loved to drop by the library when he got off of school in the afternoon a couple times a week and see if it was open yet.

"Do you like fairy tales?" she asked after a moment.

Suddenly the wide-eyed little boy was thirteen again and he shrugged. "I guess I used to when I was little."

"I'll tell you a secret about books, Henry," Belle said as she zipped up her jacket. "We never outgrow the best ones. "Why don't you take it with you, along with your dad's old ball. I know you don't remember… I know that you never knew him, but maybe it'll help."

"A book about -" Henry flipped it open, leafing through the pages - "Snow White and Prince Charming is going to help me get to know my dad?"

"Well, maybe not them specifically, but I'm sure you'll find something in there that helps you relate. You'd be surprised."

"Okay, I'll give it a try," the teen answered with another shrug, but Belle could see the excitement in his dark eyes. It was building and through the cracks she could see the Henry that Storybrooke knew so well.

* * *

They'd argued back and forth for an hour or more before Emma had been the one to put her foot down and say that they were calling Belle. Regardless of the length of time Regina had known Rumplestiltskin, Belle knew him in ways that the Dark One's former pupil never could have. Gold  _trusted_  Belle. He sometimes chose to work somewhat with, but mostly diagonal to Regina, and only if his mood was right. The fact that the two sorcerers hadn't done each other in long before he'd gotten her to cast the curse was beyond Emma. Funny enough, though, the dark haired mayor had been pleased to find out that he was still alive.

The door to Granny's diner chimed and Emma leaned back in her chair so that she had a clear view of Belle entering in with Henry. At least that stupid witch hadn't taken a shot at her son yet. Let Regina try to convince her to stay on the sidelines if that happened. There'd be two angry mothers at Zelena's throat, even if Henry only knew of one.

The kid in question shot his mom an innocent grin. "So, there are some great shops-"

"Save it. Part of the deal about coming along was that you get all your homework done."

"It's done."

"It's barely eleven."

Henry shrugged. "You were out and I couldn't sleep. I got an early start. What are you guys doing? Can I help?"

Emma felt dread welling up in her. She knew this would start sooner or later. She could only keep him cooped up for so long. "Actually, I was going to see if you wouldn't mind staying over with Mary Margaret. David and I need to get some stuff done today and-"

"Is it going to be dangerous?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Well, you said you're looking for the people responsible for killing my dad. That's not exactly… Well, people that jump bail are crazy, murderers are a whole lot worse."

She could feel Regina's gaze locked on her and it occurred to her for the umpteenth time since coming back to Storybrooke just how many times she'd broken her promise to Henry about not keeping anything from him. It shouldn't matter that he didn't remember the promise, not really. The lies did come easier with each one though. "It probably won't be that bad."

"Sure," he said in a tone that didn't even hide that he didn't believe her.

"What'd you find at Mr Gold's shop?" Mary Margaret asked as she stood slowly and Emma followed her gaze to see something in Henry's hands that she hadn't seen in over a year now.

"Just a book. And a ball that Belle says was my dad's, but that's in my bag."

"Will you show me, while your mom and the others are busy?"

"It's just a book of fairy tales…"

"I  _love_  fairy tales."

Emma had to work to keep her face straight. There was something a little overwhelming about her mother sometimes, especially if the person on the other end of the gushing didn't know where her over-the-top optimism came from. It had been all she could do to fend her off when she'd found out that the current plan was to take Henry home to New York after all this was said and done. The utter anguish that had washed over her had been terrible. "But… we're you're home," she'd told her and Emma hadn't had a response.

Henry agreed hesitantly to Mary Margaret's chipper offer and they moved to another table, allowing Belle to slip into Mary Margaret's seat and empty her bag of books onto the table. Regina quirked an eyebrow. "That's suppose to get us somewhere?" she asked.

"Rumple's told me a bit about how the dagger works, but in the last few days I've been looking it over. I was up all last night after I found these three," Belle answered without flinching, pointing to the three books that were titled in some language Emma didn't recognize. "I couldn't believe that anything's control could be so absolute, but it seems to be as close to it as it can be from everything I've found." She flipped through the pages and the writing remained scrawled in the rune-like lettering that Belle seemed to have no trouble reading. "The Dark One's Curse dates back centuries and there are no recorded instances of it being broken by anything other than death. As long as a person is under that curse, he or she must do what the owner of the dagger wills, no matter what."

"You could kiss him and break the curse," David offered, his voice entirely sensible as if he'd told someone to take an Asprin for a headache.

Belle's shoulders sagged a little even as Robin was the one to answer. "We'd have to get her close enough, and while he might not hurt her on his own, if Zelena saw her…"

"Point taken," Emma cut in. "Let's get back to the original plan: taking back the dagger. If we've got it then Zelena can't control him. If Zelena can't control him Regina and she can have a fair fight."

"She never seems to have it out of her hand, even when he's not with her," David mused.

"That's because she can summon Rumple at will and he has to come, no matter what. It's a bit like a genie being called by his master, but the only way that the wish ends is when the person no longer holds the dagger."

"No wonder he was so weird about giving up its location," Emma murmured.

Belle flipped open another book. "The dagger can be taken, just not by the Dark One himself. It must be given to them if it's been taken out of their possession."

"We haven't decided we're giving Rumplestiltskin his dagger back after all of this," David cut in. "With it we could-"

"What? Control him? That's exactly what Zelena's doing now and did you  _see_  him last night?"

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Bookworm on this, but the dagger needs to go back to Rumple if we get it," Regina agreed.

"When we get it."

"So it can be nicked, right?" Robin asked from his place, taking a sip of the coffee in front of him. "I might have a few skills in that particular department. Do we know where she keeps it? Or herself?"

"I… might be able to help with finding her," Belle offered. "But I'll need Regina or Emma's help."

"How's that?"

"When I lived in the Dark Castle with Rumple I used to watch him brew potions and the sort. Sometimes he'd explain what he was doing and what the potions were meant to do. One particular one that I saw him come up with let you find an object. There has to be a spell cast along with it, but I know that he has the potion itself in the shop. If one of you could-"

"I know what you're talking about," Regina answered. "I can do it, if you've got something that will link to the dagger."

"I do," Belle said softly. "I have the wrappings he used to keep it in."

The former Evil Queen nodded approvingly. "That will most certainly do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, our band of heroes, former villains, and everything in-between chase after Rumplestiltskin's dagger in hopes of rescuing him... ish. Find out who gets it and where that will lead them. All the while, Rumple is making plans of his own...


	2. Chapter 2

If asked to name the top five people she would have picked to be a key to getting Rumple back, Regina wouldn't have even made the list. The elder woman and Belle's love had a complicated relationship -  _as I do with most people_ , she could almost hear him tease - and she hadn't forgotten the nearly thirty years in which she'd locked her away for. So she found it a little disconcerting that Regina was, in fact, the one she was handing the dagger's wrappings to in order to find Rumple. Belle pushed that feeling down, though, as she began to dig through the vials of potions that her love kept put away until he needed them.

Emma had come along, though Belle wasn't quite sure if it was to avoid the heavy guilt-trip her mother was laying on her or if it was to help ease the tension between she and Regina. Either way, she didn't believe the blonde for a moment when she said she was interested in learning how to cast the spell.

"Here it is," Belle announced as she found the potion marked in Rumple's scrawling handwriting. She handed it back over to Regina. "Can you find it with that?"

"Should be able to," the former Evil Queen answered, uncorking the bottle and taking a whiff. She seemed satisfied enough with it and laid the cloth out on the table. "Here it goes," she breathed and Belle couldn't seem to find her own breath as the elder woman poured a line of the liquid onto what looked like little more than an old rag. She closed her eyes and stretched her hands out over it, the spell showing in the way it began to glow and power gathered around it.

"Well?" Emma asked as Regina's eyes snapped open.

"She's staying at Gold's cabin. Using him for all he's worth, aren't you, Zelena?"

"That's out near the lake, isn't it?" Belle asked, and her lips tilted up as she thought about it. "I've never actually been there. Rumple and I talked about it several times. It's not like it's far, but with everything that's happened… Well, I suppose things just got in the way."

"What, he didn't want to take Lacey out there?" Regina snarked and received a glare for her efforts. She held her hands up, palms outward. "Sorry."

"For bringing it up or doing it in the first place?" Belle shot back.

"Okay, on a more useful note, I don't guess you have a way to see in there?" Emma asked, positioning herself between the two women.

"Do you think I have the whole damn town bugged?"

"For once, I was kind of hoping for it."

"Well I don't," Regina bit out, huffing. Slowly, as an idea presented itself, a smile pulled at her painted lips. "But I think I have something better."

* * *

Regina was going to give Rumple hell when they got him back. Belle may have brought books and some worthless knowledge about his curse - that she'd continued to drum on and on about all day long - but the queen had certainly been pulling more than her weight in this venture. There had been a day when her former mentor hadn't left a mirror uncovered in his castle so that she didn't have a way to spy on him, but she was pleased to find out that it was not the case in his cabin. The man had never been one to keep a great number of looking glasses around him, but there were a few scattered throughout the little place and through them she could catch glimpses of her sister.

Rumplestiltskin himself didn't seem to be there, but Regina wasn't overly surprised. Zelena seemed to get a twisted sense of entertainment out of keeping him caged like one of her monkeys. She watched her sister move around the place, turning her nose up and this and that and going on to the winged monkey that seemed to hinge on every word.

"Find anything useful?"

She tried not to startle, but Robin Hood had proven himself to be one of the very few people that could sneak up on her. He wasn't trying to, she didn't think, but his footsteps were quiet and she hadn't even know he was behind her until he'd spoken. "She has an inflated ego for absolutely no reason that I've found yet," Regina said, forcing her voice into a steady pattern as Robin leaned so that he was looking over her shoulder at the mirror propped there, his arm nearly touching hers as he braced himself against the table for the closer view. "And she never seems to put that dagger down."

"This isn't two way, is it?"

The fact that the question was whispered was the only thing that saved Regina from answering it wrong. Yes, contrary to every protective wall that she'd built over the years since Daniel's death, the attraction was certainly two-way. But he wasn't asking about that, no matter how close he was leaning in now. "No, she can't hear us."

"Is this the only view we have?"

"Rumple isn't known for his love of mirrors."

She caught the smirk out of the corner of her eye. "You have something to do with that?"

Her own lips quirked up. "Maybe. Here, I think there was another one over…. Here. There it is." She found the view she was looking for, and after a bit of work that included a rather complicated spell that allowed her to use the glass in the windows as mirrors, they had a general layout of the cabin and what Zelena had done to it.

The sun was setting in the sky by the time that Robin felt he had a good enough idea of where he was going and how he'd get back out for the small band to start off to the cabin. There were magical wards set up all around, some Rumplestiltskin's and son Zelena's, all dangerous if not unraveled before they continued further.

Regina hated unraveling other people's spells. She was sure that she wouldn't have minded it as much if it didn't take so damn long. It had always been her least favourite part of learning magic. It seemed to be so natural for Rumple to simply pull a string and watch another sorcerer's prize spell come undone at his feet. At one point she'd refused to learn any more about it, hoping to outlast him in the stubbornness department so that they could move onto something more useful, like the balls of flame that she'd seen him throw. But, no, Rumplestiltskin had always been a man that knew how to get what he wanted from people, even if that something that he was seeking was, technically speaking, for their own benefit. He'd spelled a bucket of muck to pour down on her while she was wearing one of her favourite gowns - one of the few gifts from her kingly husband that she'd enjoyed or that he'd remembered to give at all - and after she'd finished screaming at him she'd realized that no sponge, no cloth, and anything else she tried would get the muck off of her. "You know how to unravel it, dearie," he'd chirped at her between giggles, hands waving and that obnoxious grin plastered all over his face. She'd finally found the cracks in it, just like he'd taught her to, and she'd made sure to push the muck outward so that it hit him when it flew. Granted, the fact that she'd been covered in it for three days had helped to fuel the vengeful act.

No, Regina was much more a hit-it-with-all-you-have girl.

"So how does it feel for the queen to become a thief?"

"Excuse me?"

Robin shot her a devilish grin. "Well, we are going in to steal something from your sister. That does, technically speaking, make you a thief today."

She tried to be angry at him for the statement, she really did. Anyone else would have gotten an earful of it over respect for her station and other rants that somehow sounded absurd to her now that she was even thinking about sending them his way.

When he quirked his eyebrow, question still standing, she snorted. "I'll tell you when we have it."

They moved in with Charming, Emma, and Belle going to different sides of the cabin. Robin moved to a window and slipped it open. He turned to stare at Regina as she followed. "What are you doing?"

"You're not going in there alone."

He stared at her, as if trying to read between lines and not finding anything other than a stern glare there. "As you wish, m'lady," he answered after a moment. "At least let me clear the room."

She gave him that much and after a half a moment's wait he motioned for her to follow. She did and they found themselves in a dusty little study that looked as if Zelena hadn't bothered with. There were books that Regina remembered from her own days of study, and surprisingly enough she found herself making a mental note to tell Belle they'd found them once this was over and done with.

It was an effort to let Robin lead, but she forced herself to fall into step behind him. This was his world: slipping through shadows and slipping valuables into his bag. Or one valuable, as this case was. She followed behind him, her steps silent due to a spell while his were silent due to practice. The cabin wasn't large, nor was it populated with shin-bruising furniture, so they found the room with the lavish bed that most certainly didn't belong there and a sleeping Zelena fairly quickly. Regina would never admit it, but some thanks was due to Rumplestiltskin for painstakingly teaching her how to dismantle other people's spells. If she'd blown through these Zelena would have been ready and waiting, likely with the Dark One at her side. She'd never seen Rumple teleport in Storybrooke, but if she was capable, he most certainly was.

A soft snoring sound came from the woman in the bed and Robin pointed wordlessly to where her hand was gripping at the dagger that was stuffed halfway under the pillow. Regina hoped she cut herself on it.

Zelena shifted, not bothering to wake up even with the two people looming in her bedroom door. They could end this now. They could snuff out her life and restore something akin to balance in Storybrooke. As much as Regina had started the little town as an act of vengeance, it had grown on her. She'd raised her son here, she'd learned to to put the bitterness aside here, she was learning to… No. Focus. Zelena slept in the bed. Gold's dagger rested in her loose grip.

Robin caught her gaze in the shadows and she nodded. Zelena might be a powerful sorceress, but she was still human. It looked like the last few days had worn her out and the queen's magic trickled around her, encouraging the sleep on.

The blond thief made no sound at all as he eased forward and his gloved hand moved towards the prize. Regina was sure she wasn't breathing at all by this point, magic tingling in her fingertips, waiting for a chance to lash out.

A smile began to stretch across his features as his eyes flickered over to her, shining with triumph as his hand closed around the hilt. They had it.

"Not so fast, dear," Zelena's silky voice met both of them and Robin was thrown back, slamming hard enough into the opposite wall to take him to his knees. The dagger clattered to the wood floor. "It's not nice to sneak into a lady's room."

Robin winced. "I'm afraid you and I have a different definition of what a  _lady_  is."

"And it's not  _your_  room," Regina snapped and from the way her sister whirled on her, momentary shock plastered across her face, she hadn't expected her there. That was useful. She'd take it.

Zelena didn't have time to react as Regina returned the attack that had thrown Robin back, but a cracking sound accompanied the hard hit and she slumped to the floor, dazed.

"Let's not waste time," Robin said as he reached for the dagger on his way by. He let out a small yelp as Regina grabbed for him, dark smoke all that was left behind for Zelena to aim her rage at.

The thief swayed a bit when they landed, immediately set upon by Belle, Emma, and Charming. "Did you get it?"

Robin nodded, slipping the dagger into a satchel at his side. "Can you take us all the way you just got us out of the cabin?"

Regina shook her head. "She'll follow us that way."

"She'll follow us anyway," Emma snapped, leveling her gun and taking a couple shots that never hit Zelena even as she appeared in a whirl of green smoke.

"You thought I'd let you off that easily?" the witch laughed, but there was no mistaking the underlying panic. She hadn't expected them to get this far. She hadn't anticipated her own ability to slip, and that's just why it had happened.

"I think you already have," her younger sister answered, risking only a glance at the others as power built between them. "Go, I'll take care of greenie."

Robin might have argued, but seemed to think better of it. "Be careful," he told her lowly and they were gone, scrambling up the hill and between trees.

Zelena sneered and Regina smiled as a ball of fire gathered in her gloved hand. Attacks clashed between them, but the queen remained on her feet better this evening than she had the last. She was pushed back, her boots slipping in the soft dirt and leaves, but Zelena was thrown back hard. Good, she had thrown her off her game. No more seemingly clever little lines that made Regina want to hurl. "It's over. We have the dagger and you've lost Rumplestiltskin."

"It's not over until I have your heart," Zelena hissed, picking herself up off the ground. "Though I must admit, after that little show, I think I've got a fine place to start looking. I never would have thought  _outlaw_  was your type, sis, but hey, to each their own. I'd keep a close eye on him if I were you."

She was gone in a whirl and Regina felt dread set in deep. Her magic carried her to a hill not too far away before she'd even told it to and she found the others standing there, waiting on her, with no Zelena in sight. The breath that she hadn't realized that she held pushed out suddenly and she straightened, regaining her composure. "You don't have to look so worried. I told you I'd handle her."

"So?" Robin asked with a grin.

"Thievery is surpassingly exhilarating."

"She won't follow you?" Charming asked.

"Looked like she's slunk off to go lick her wounds, at least for a bit."

"Well, let's do what we came here to do," Emma said firmly. "How do we call Gold here?"

"We have to summon him," Belle answered as Robin pulled the long dagger carefully from his bag and handed it to her. She shot him a startled look and he didn't withdraw it.

"If you'll do the honours?"

She nodded and took the knife in her hands, Rumplestiltskin's name leaving her lips in little more than a whisper.

* * *

She'd left him there all day, kneeling till his knees ached. Then he'd continued kneeling because the order had not changed and he'd been told to stay put by the woman that commanded his dagger. Rumplestiltskin had never felt so filthy in all his life and he wondered how Zoso hadn't found some poor, desperate soul to steal away the burden of slavery long before he'd come along.

And then it had happened. It was small, a shift, and for a moment he caught a glimpse of what was happening almost as if the dagger hitting the floor had sent off the alert to him that no one held it. He was in limbo, between masters, and the knife lay between two parties that wanted it so desperately. He didn't know who was after it, but he had something of an idea. He had something of a hope. As long as it wasn't the damn Charmings all over again.

And then the power changed and he tried to move, thinking that Zelena's hold was cut. His body didn't react and Rumple let out a frustrated sound even as he struggled against his own limbs. He ached terribly and by the time that the swirl of green smoke appeared he was raging.

Zelena stared at him, obviously not sure if he'd still be there or not. "You still can't move."

"So I noticed, dearie, but you don't have the next command, do you? Looks like you're not nearly as good as you thought." His voice was cold and he saw her actually flinch at it. Good, someone had shown her that just now. "Regina prove that to you?"

"Regina will never defeat me!"

"Oh yes she will, dearie, but it'll be me that kills you. Don't think for an instant you won't pay for what you did. I'll take you to the brink of death and bring you back again and again until you beg for death and then we'll begin again. You want to change the past, Zelena. By the time I'm done with you, the only past you'll be wanting to change is your own birth."

She pressed up against the bars of the closed cage, not foolish enough to open it. It may have been that he couldn't move from his knelt position, but if she came close enough he'd catch ahold of her and then there'd be no stopping him. It didn't really matter that there were no weapons within reach. He'd always been the creative sort.

Zelena straightened, putting on that haughty pout of hers that only fueled his anger. "Good luck with the Charmings, dear. I'm sure they'll make fine masters to the Dark One."

A wicked grin pulled at his lips. "Come in here and say that, dearie."

"I don't have to. I don't even need the dagger to bring you down, Rumple. All I need is to let you witness the death of the one person you still love. Believe me, she  _will_  suffer now."

A howl of rage was cut short by the Kris Dagger's pull and his name cutting through his mind.

_Rumplestiltskin_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - We find out who gets to control the Dark One and Zelena throws a dangerous tantrum.


	3. Chapter 3

_Rumplestiltskin_.

He had no choice but to go and Rumplestiltskin found himself standing on a hill overlooking Storybrooke. His knees gave way almost immediately, not quite ready to support him standing after he'd been knelt down on the hard ground for what looked like the better part of the day. The sky was dark, though it didn't look like they'd quite reached the earliest hours of morning yet. His rescuers gathered around him, and he forced himself to his feet again, ignoring the pain there, and snarled. "If you'd given me a moment more I could have had her close enough to snap her neck and been done will  _all_  of this!"

"Well next time we'll make sure your schedule permits a rescue attempt before we pull you out of the crazy woman's clutches," Regina quipped irritably.

"Rumple?"

The anger eased, if only a bit, at the sound of Belle's voice. It had been she who called to him and in her hand was his dagger. She held it so carefully, as if she wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but she'd summoned him well enough. Their eyes locked and she inched forward, the hesitation in her steps a harsh reminder of the last time he'd seen her, and worse, the time before that. She reached a hand out for him, just as she had in the cellar, and this time he was quicker to take it, meeting her in the middle and her arms were around his neck instantly.

He could feel tears through his tattered shirt and he returned the embrace, pulling her off her feet and holding her close. His rage rolled off of him, dissipating if only for a while and in that moment they were the only ones alive. Certainly the only ones that mattered. Every pain, every anguish that he'd felt tried to well up within him and he crushed it. Not here. Not in front of the rest of them. He could wait - he  _had_  to wait - until they were actually alone.

Belle didn't seem to want to let go, but she finally allowed him to set her back down to the hill on which they stood and she tried to smile through her tears as she pressed his dagger into his hands. "I believe this belongs to you."

Rumplestiltskin stared at her for a long moment before his fingers tightened around the hilt for the first time since he'd thrown it away to save Bae. "Thank you," he managed, voice cracking with emotion and he finally turned his dark eyes to those waiting. "Thank you."

Regina smirked. "Not something you hear every day."

Rumple cleared his throat. "Don't get used to it." His eyes flickered to Robin and recognition set in. "The thief."

"You two know each other?" Regina asked.

The outlaw gave a shrug. "Oh, I tried to steal from him, he tried to skin me alive, I did steal from him… he let me go."

"And you paid your debt to my son," Rumple answered, voice tight again.

Robin nodded solemnly. "My… condolences."

"Listen, standing out here may not be the best idea," Emma pointed out. "We pissed her off, but we didn't kill her. Let's get down, regroup, and we'll decide what to do in the morning." She motioned to the dagger. "You good with that thing?"

"Yes."

She nodded slowly, accepting it before she started down towards the town. Regina and Robin followed closely after and Charming paused behind them. "Rumplestiltskin…"

"While I appreciate the sentiment, don't," the smaller man cut him off. "Our focus needs to be on taking out Zelena."

Belle's hand caught his and he squeezed it.  _Wait. Please._

David pursed his lips, obviously weighing the idea of pushing the subject and deciding against it. Rumple watched as he slowly made his way after his daughter and the others.

"Rumple…"

"I need to go to my shop," he answered, voice still shaky. "There are things I'll need there to get everything started."

Her hand rested against the side of his face and he couldn't help but lean into the touch. "What you need is rest," she said softly and for just a moment arguing with her seemed futile. Her thumb ran across his sharp cheekbone gently, lulling him, but then he jerked away from it almost as if the touch burned. He couldn't stop. If he stopped, he would have to give in to the utter exhaustion, and if he did that there was no telling how far down he might spiral.

"No. I can rest later."

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

Well, he could always be grateful for how sensible she could be. "No."

"Then do you mind the company? I've… I've missed you."

His breath caught and he took her hand in his, trying to find words that wouldn't spill him over the edge. He needed to be steady. He needed to think. With the dagger in his own possession he was sure he'd find a way to destroy her. Not just kill her, but utterly wipe the realms of her so that she could never hurt another soul in the way she'd hurt Bae.

Belle squeezed his hand and it steadied him. He turned, finding her waiting for his response and he did the only thing that seemed sensible at the moment. Rumplestiltskin, for all his darkness, had let a little light in the day that he had finally admitted to himself just how much he loved her and every kiss they shared kept him from from drowning in it all. She was all he had left to keep him human, now that Bae was gone. "I've missed you too," he whispered when they finally broke. "More than I could ever say."

She smiled a shy little smile that he'd come to love the most from her. It was the one she shared when he opened up to her, when he was able to overcome the many, many years of carefully built walls and general distrust of everyone around him. She was patient with him, his Belle, and he knew he'd test her in the time to come. She would want him to share his demons, share his burdens and perhaps after a while he could, but for now he had a goal he needed to reach. He needed to kill the woman that had killed his son. He needed that more than anything else he could attain.

"Shall we?" he asked, breaking away once more from his murderous thoughts. She nodded and they were gone in a whisp of magic, landing in the lamp-lit street. People mulled around, but only a few and the clock read near to ten at night.

"Belle! You found him!"

They turned to see Ruby jogging up to them and Rumple squeezed her hand and released it. She'd understand, he knew that she would. The sheer emotions he was bottling now were bound to explode at just the wrong time and at someone that was at least mostly innocent. Ruby had never done wrong by him, as far as he could remember and he had no reason to wish to direct his pain at her.

"I'll be in in just a moment."

"Thank you," he said softly and moved across the street and towards the door to the shop. He didn't have a key on him, but that really didn't matter. He hadn't needed a key to get into his little pawn shop in quite some time now.

Rumplestiltskin's hand paused over the knob and he brushed off the feeling that prickled inside of him as exhaustion. Perhaps Belle was right. His senses were dulled and scattered, his magic setting off in strange directions. If he went to bed he might just be spent enough not to dream, or at least not to remember what he dreamt.

It took a moment for him to realize he was on his back nearly to where he'd started, lying on the pavement and looking up at the stars. His ears were ringing badly, but through it he could just make out Belle screaming his name. He shifted, feeling pain spiking through him, but his magic was already taking care of that. Slowly he began to sit up, but Belle's hands were pressing against his shoulders. "I'm fine, sweetheart," he managed, but when his gaze fell on the burning remains of his shop he wasn't quite so confident.

"Rumple? Are you alright?"

"Yes, dear," he assured her through the ringing. "It's alright. I'm alright."

"Damn," Ruby let out a low whistle and held up her phone. "Fire department's on their way. You need an ambulance?"

"No, I shouldn't think so."

"Maybe you should-"

"The last thing I need tonight is to be tossed into Whale's little hospital and poked and prodded at for as long as they try to keep me there. My magic will have me whole by morning, dear. I'm not so easy to kill as all of that."

Sirens sounded in the distance and he cringed. He'd have a headache, and as he made his way unsteadily to his feet and Belle never relinquished her grip, he was sure that wasn't all he was going to have. The entire front of the shop was in shambles, blown away by an explosion that could have only been caused by magic. From the holes in the facade he could see that the back looked mostly untouched, as if it had been directed at him and him alone. The things he'd been after though - potions and a few spell books - were likely decimated by the explosion.

"Zelena?" Belle voiced the thought he'd been trying to push down.

"It has one of her tantrums written all over it," he sighed, feeling every movement he made as he stretched his hand out and the flames subsided, shrinking back into themselves until they were gone entirely. The front of the shop shimmered with a protection spell. "I'll do damage control in the morning. The spell will keep until then without any trouble."

The people of Storybrooke had always been a curious sort and they'd started to poke their heads out with the sirens, but when the lights proved the trucks on the street they were filling in behind them. There was no fire left to put out, but the whole event was sure to be all over Granny's by the next morning. Not that the faceless pawn shop weren't obvious for all to see without the firetrucks having come. There were faces amongst the crowd that Rumple had thought he'd never see again and to have them staring past him at the wreckage was almost surreal. Belle was right. He really did need rest.

"Easy," she coaxed and he realized he'd listed to his left, body screaming in protest of the treatment he'd put it through. Magic worked different here. He had no fear of dying from the wounds, but they most certainly hurt.

"Would she have done the same to your house?"

"Likely so. That was blood magic, though. I should have known as soon as I felt it. I was… distracted."

"Mm. Rest."

"And perhaps a shower," Rumplestiltskin conceded, looking down at the tattered remains of his suit that he'd worn for… He really didn't want to think of how long he'd been in it. He pulled the jacket from his shoulders now and shook it, bits of debris falling to join the rest in the street. Now that he had a better view of himself he saw the places where blood had begun to seep through, the wounds not closed up quick enough to save the shirt - not that there was any saving it to begin with - and there were sections where the magic had caught hold of him, burning its way through the cloth and lighting his skin on fire. Those would take a bit longer to heal and could smart for a couple of days at least. He frowned. Zelena really was quite a child when she didn't get her way.

"Can you undo it? The spell on your house?"

"Of course, given time. I'm afraid I don't have it in me tonight."

"We could go to my old apartment. You know, over the library."

"Would you mind terribly?"

She frowned at him and he thought for a moment that she might pop him on the shoulder for the question. He was very glad she didn't and only wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. "Of course not. It doesn't have much. All of my things… Well they all went directly to your house when we were brought back."

"You've been staying there?"

"And she's been taking care of your shop," Ruby piped in and Rumple felt a small, albeit real smile tug at his lips.

"I'll never find anything now," he teased softly.

Belle rolled her eyes and she and Ruby shared a look. The werewolf grinned toothily. "I'll make sure no one steals anything, Rumplestiltskin."

"They couldn't get through that protection spell if they wanted to."

"Could have used that half an hour ago."

He snorted, but couldn't find himself to agree out loud. He'd be able to pick up the pieces without too much trouble and most everything could be repaired with just a few spells. He'd smashed his way through the front of that poor little shop, leaving only shattered counters and merchandise in his wake enough times - even just since he'd brought magic into Storybrooke - that he knew how quickly things could be put right.

Belle offered thanks to Ruby for both of them and very slowly they started for the library beneath the clock tower.

* * *

Belle hadn't actually been in her old apartment since the new curse had brought them back. There were a few things there, but hardly what she kept at the three story pink house that she and Rumple had so briefly called home together. It was enough, though, as it provided them with a bed and a bath.

She'd busied herself with making sure there were sheets on the bed and picking up at the clutter while Rumple showered. Mostly it was to keep her mind off the worry and the questions. How long had he actually been down there? Had he also been affected by the curse and his memories wiped? What had Zelena done to him?

The water from the shower shut off and she froze, half bent to pick up a stray blouse that the curse had oh-so-kindly dropped at the foot of her bed instead of placing in the closet, or better yet, in the house. She  _liked_  that blouse. Very quietly she moved to the closet and put it inside. She could hear Rumple rustling around behind the closed door and her heart ached. She couldn't ask him the questions that were gnawing at her. She couldn't put him through that. He would come to her when he was ready, she reminded herself. As much as he needed to trust her, she needed to not be the one to push him. He needed support, not suffocation.

The stirring at stopped but he didn't exit. Belle waited a moment or two before she couldn't help herself any longer and wrapped her knuckles against the door. "Rumple?" Her chest clenched when he didn't answer and she pushed the door open a crack and steam poured out. "Rumple, are you okay?"

"Yeah," came the strained response from inside.

Belle couldn't bring herself to believe him and pushed it open a little wider. "Are you… sure?" The last word was lost as she found him leaning heavily against the wall, towel around his waist and she breathed out his name. "Rumple, what did she do to you?"

Glamour was what he called it. It was a spell that hid things that talented sorcerers didn't want seen. He must have been using a spell such as that when he'd come to them and in the hours since. He'd let it wash away with the water now and she could see not only the healing injuries from the blast, but also scars from where the witch must have refused to let him heal the wounds she inflicted. The burns and the gashes from the explosion mixed in with lines across his skin, some looking like she'd slammed him against that awful cage when she grew angry and there was one long one that made its way down his ribs that looked to be from a knife. His knife. She didn't even want to imagine what that would do to him. He was skinny now. Oh, he'd always been thin, but it looked like he hadn't eaten a full meal in… Well in quite some time at any rate. From what she knew of his curse it wouldn't have let him starve, but the signs still showed. The signs of torture.

He looked ready to snap at the intrusion, but he must have seen the tears welling in her eyes and reached out to her instead. "I'm alright, dear," he promised as she took his hand. He was trembling with the glamour gone and she wrapped her arms around him, careful to miss the burns and the cuts still healing.

"I shouldn't have left you," she found herself sobbing and tightened her grip.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"Down there, in that terrible place. I shouldn't have left you."

She heard him sigh and he kissed the top of her head. "She'd have had me kill you, Belle. I'd rather die a thousand deaths than to lose you. I couldn't bear…." His voice cracked and he kissed her hair again. "Let me get dressed and we'll get that rest you were so eager for."

Belle wanted to offer him something, but she couldn't quite make her voice work.  _I'm here for you_  and  _It's going to be okay_  seemed like throw away comments, meant to put a bandaid over a gaping wound in which the person might bleed out from. His son was dead, he'd been held captive by the woman that had killed him, and she couldn't find the words to say to make it better. Perhaps there were none, but she'd always had trouble accepting that.

The bed wasn't nearly as comfortable as the one in the house - though she hardly thought it mattered enough to bring that over with his magic as he had the pyjamas he was wearing - and it was small, but Belle couldn't find it in her to complain about that. Rumple wrapped an arm around her almost instantly and she nestled down so that she fit perfectly against him. She didn't know when she drifted off amidst the scattered thoughts and the raging emotions that threaten to send her spiraling into a full-out cryfest, but she must have because when she woke to his strangled sounds he was curled on his opposite side of the mattress, shaking, and with his arms wrapped around himself. The noise he was making was truly horrible in the fact that it was so not like him. "Rumple," she whispered, fingers touching his arm.

A terrible scream ripping from his throat and his eyes were wild as he leapt from his place on the bed, halfway to his knees on it before he froze. Belle felt panic take hold and she crushed it. "Rumple, it's okay. You're with me. It's okay. She can't hurt you anymore." Her voice was soft but firm and it seemed to calm him some, though he didn't lie back down. He sat there, shaking and trying to breathe, but every few breaths she thought she could hear him muttering. Straining her ears, she finally heard Bae's name tumble from his lips and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from the side. He leaned into her, breaths finally evening out, but there were tears streaming down his face in the darkness.

"Rumple… If you want to talk about it…"

A haunted sort of look flashed through those dark eyes and he shook his head, voice cracked and full of emotion as he spoke. "No…. No, I don't think I can."

"It might help."

"No, killing Zelena will help."

"Rumple-"

" _No_ ," he said more forcefully this time. "I  _will_  kill her for everything she's done. She took my boy, Belle. She took Bae. She _can't_  live."

He wasn't asking for her blessing, but her understanding. He needed this, or at least he thought he did. She'd never been one for revenge and she'd always tried to steer him away from it as best as she could, but in that moment Belle didn't think she could. "Okay," she breathed.

"Okay?"

"As long as you promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"That you won't lose yourself to it."

A hollow chuckle left him. "I'll try."

"Good," she murmured. "I'll be right there with you and if you need  _anything_ , you'll tell me, won't you?"

She felt a tremor run through him and he sniffed. "I just want my son."

And Belle's heart truly broke for him. "I know, Rumple. I know," was all she could say as he cried in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Rumple visits Bae's grave and has an interesting conversation with Emma while Henry makes plans to figure out just what is going on in Storybrooke that everyone seems to afraid to tell him about.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four.**

The early hours of the morning found Rumplestiltskin already awake. He’d lain there, absolutely still for more hours than he cared to think about in hopes of not waking Belle. As the rising sun outside of the little apartment in the clock tower began to lighten the sky he’d finally given up on sleep, uncurling himself, and carefully slipping out of the bed. She was beautiful, his Belle. Beautiful and so much stronger than he could ever hope to be, but he couldn’t weigh her down with this. This, he needed to do alone.

He’d never had much use for the little graveyard just off from the convent. He’d seen it hundreds of times while limping his way over to collect rent from the nuns - he could feel their eyes on him now as he passed by, dressed very much like his usual Storybrooke-self - but he didn’t care. Let Blue harass him. They’d be down one less fairy that morning and that was never a bad thing.

While the sun broke through in places, sending streams of light down, dark clouds had begun to build and it seemed appropriate for this visit. The sky would cry and he would say his goodbyes.

No one was in sight as Rumplestiltskin approached his son’s grave, though there were flowers laid out there. The ground was still piled up over it, the weather having not beaten it down into submission quite yet and he could feel his limbs begin to shake. His ankle - something he thought had been permanently taken care of while in Neverland - had begun to ache that morning as he’d moved quietly around Belle’s apartment. He’d pushed it back, just as he did the other aches and pains that had been brought on by the explosion the night before. It wasn’t like he could find his old cane to use even if he wanted to.

“You outgrew my walking stick early one, though, didn’t you?” he asked the gravesite quietly, wanting to close his eyes. On the marker - perhaps fighting wicked witch left little time to put up an actual gravestone -  read  _Neal Cassidy_ , and he was sure that was for Henry’s sake. From what Belle had divulged, the boy knew nothing of his life he’d spent here. He was confused and searching, and couldn’t understand why things weren’t adding up. “You’d have been able to figure all of this out, Bae. For all the cleverness I claim, I would have taken your words over any other if you’d have given them. I don’t… After everything, I don’t know what to do now.” The sob welled from deep within him and he knelt down in the soft dirt, not caring for a moment about his expensive suit pants or the mud that would ruin them. All he cared about, all he saw, was the grave that bore the name his son had chosen for himself. The name he’d chosen after he drove him away. “I’m so sorry, Bae.”

The change in the air was instant and he jerked upward, eyes darting around and expecting one of those damned fairies to be looking for a glimpse at the broken Dark One. He’d show them broken if he must.

Anger died away almost instantaneously as dark eyes met hazel. “Miss Swan.”

“I’ll come back….”

“No, no,” he said quickly, easing himself to his feet. Yep, definitely ruined. “You have just as much right as I do.”

This seemed to catch her off guard and she stared at him. “I really don’t… I mean….” Emma Swan swallowed hard. “I’m sorry that we didn’t wait the funeral.”

“You had no idea how long it would take.”

She nodded, the logic sound enough that even she could accept it without looking at it at too many angles. In her hand she held a bouquet of flowers and she gave an attempt at a smile that seemed something more of a grimace as she stepped past him, laying the flowers on his son’s grave. “Henry’s still asleep,” she murmured softly. “I’ve been coming out here each morning since the funeral when I can’t sleep. It’s… funny, I guess. Regina’s spell did a helluva job. I thought I  _hated_  him up until just a couple of weeks ago.”

Rumple watched her, silent as she spoke. She never turned to look at him, but kept her eyes fixated on the grave. When he didn’t say anything in response she continued, as if to fill the silence with anything she could find. “He just… Neal and I always seemed to click so well, even when I didn’t want to. I really did love him once. He was fun and he had kind of this wild streak in him that couldn’t be tamed… but if he’d stayed… I wonder what our lives would have been like, you know? What if we’d raised Henry together?”

She turned to him then and Rumple felt like he’d swallowed a rock and it had just hit the bottom of his very empty stomach. There was a guarded question there, one that she seemed to hope for an answer to, even though she was too frightened to ask it outright. He cleared his throat, forcing his voice to work. “I’m afraid that’s one of the rather set laws of magic, dear. You can’t change the past. Just like you can’t bring people back from the dead.”

“Neal brought you back.”

“I’m sorry?”

Emma looked uncomfortable now, obviously out of her depth. “When he came back to Storybrooke he had this weird burn mark on his hand-” she lifted her own up, tracing the triangle and the lines that Rumplestiltskin had seen etched into a key hidden away in his library - “and Belle looked it up. She said that he must have opened this vault thing… Something about the Vault of the Dark One. I don’t know. Do you?”

“He opened it, yes,” the dead man’s father said tightly.

“Well, he brought you back, didn’t he? Back from the dead? Doesn’t that kind of nullify your rule?”

Rumplestiltskin felt like he’d been slammed into the wall by his dagger again and he wondered if he’d imagined his brief bout of freedom and he would wake to find himself still in that terrible cage in Zelena’s cellar. His son had brought him back. He’d been dead, hadn’t he? He’d driven the knife into his father’s back and through him into his own chest. The magic had done more than the actual blade had to him and it had been death. Surely it had been death. “I… don’t know,” he managed after a moment.

Emma shrugged, ready to let it go suddenly. She was a strange woman, he had to admit, who rarely seemed to know exactly what she wanted. She had chased her family her whole life and when she finally found them, she hardly treated them as parents. Rumple would have liked to think, at least, if Bae had lived that they would have grown into something of an adult father-son relationship. He could have tried to take a step back and allowed his son his decisions and trust in him a little more and in turn, Bae would have trusted in him that his father was  _trying_  to do right by him, even if he failed so very, very often.

_Thank you, Papa, for showing me what it is to make a true sacrifice._

“What have you told Henry… about his father?” Rumplestiltskin asked after a few moments of uncomfortable silence between them.

“It’s tough… Up until I got my memories back, I thought Neal had abandoned us. Henry knew what I did: he didn’t know about him and that he’d left me to rot in jail. What can I say now?”

“The truth.” She shot him a look at that one and he shrugged. “It’s a powerful thing… so I hear.”

Emma snorted. “Yeah. Because that would go over well. ‘So, Henry, I totally forgot this other life that you and I lived. No, you don’t remember it either because your adopted mom cast a spell over you.’ That’d go over  _great_.”

“Perhaps a version of the truth,” Rumple corrected with a thin smile. “Or… I can come up with a memory potion for him.”

“I don’t know,” Emma answered immediately. “He’s… Well I don’t think we’re staying after this. Once Zelena’s dealt with, I’m done. Henry and I have a life to go back to.”

“One that Regina put in your head.”

“One that we  _remember_ ,” she snapped back and then pulled in a deep breath. “I just… He loved it in New York. Friends, school, a life…. It’s complicated, you know?”

“What’s complicated about it? His family wants to be close to him and they most certainly can’t do that if he doesn’t remember them.”

“You want to see him?”

“Of course I want to see him. He’s my son’s boy.”

The blonde sighed and Rumplestiltskin tried to regain control of his spiraling emotions. Perhaps he should have brought Belle along. She would have at least steadied him. Right now all he had was a grave with a body buried beneath, his son’s voice silenced forever and those vacant eyes staring up at him as his soul took leave of its long-time home…

“I’m sorry,” Emma breathed. “I just… don’t think it’d be good for him to know… To know that you’re his grandfather, you know? It’d be hard to explain.”

“Why? Even if you’re not going to keep him here…. He’s my  _grandson_ , Emma. Why would  you keep him from me?”

“It just… would be, Gold. You  _know_  why. You’ve always been Rumplestiltskin. At least Mary Margaret and David are good at faking it. You’re not. You’ll go and call him Baelfire or do some sort of magic in front of him. You’ll freak him out.”

“So give him the potion. I can have it ready in a day’s time, even with my shop in shambles. You can still take him to New York if you wish. Isn’t that what people do in this world? They travel to where their families are to see them. I guarantee your parents would always welcome you in.”

“So I torment him with two worlds?”

“Better than making the choice for him,” Rumplestiltskin bit out, but he saw that he’d crossed the line as soon as he had and he took a physical step back to ease the building tension. “My apologies.”

“No… It’s okay. You just lost Neal. You’re coming to terms with that, I get it. It’s just… You can’t replace him with Henry.” She sighed heavily, pulling her coat closer and burying her chin down into the folds of her red scarf. “We’re meeting at Granny’s around nine to talk about our next steps. David thinks you should be there.”

“Does he now?”

“Yeah. You have vital information that can help defeat her. Will you help us in it?”

“She killed Bae. What do you think?”

Emma nodded then, looking as if she wanted to reach out for a moment and provide some sort of comfort, but then remembering that wasn’t in her nature and finding comfort wasn’t in his. “I’ll see you there,” she murmured softly and turned.

“Emma?” he called when she was a few steps away and she stopped, turning only slightly and Rumple tried for a smile. Honesty. It was a powerful thing, certainly, but also a terrible burden. “When Bae - Neal - was inside my head, I couldn’t make sense of it, but I’ve been able to sort some things out since then. I learned a lot about my son in that manner.” He paused, trying to gather his courage and he couldn’t quite bare to meet her eyes for a moment. Then he did and he found his voice. For Bae, he found his voice. “He loved you, more than you could ever know. You and Henry. I don’t know where the two of you might have found yourselves if he’d survived, but I know that if it’s within my power, neither of you will ever want for anything.”

“Gold, you don’t have to-”

“He’s my grandson and you are the woman that my son loved with all his heart. I do, and I do so very willingly. You’re family.”

Emma tried for a smile and was met with one just as poorly put on. “Thanks. I’ll see you at Granny’s.”

“See you there.”

He watched her walk away and while there were many things about her that he didn’t understand, many things that irked him about the young woman that he’d written the name of over and over and over again while in solitary confinement to ensure her place in this curse, he knew that Bae had loved her, and that was most certainly enough.

Rumplestiltskin turned back to Baelfire’s grave, his lips twitching downward.  _He brought you back_ , the words echoed in his own mind. He hadn’t taken a moment to think on it, not really. He didn’t know a great deal about the Vault that was meant to have birthed his very first predecessor. The key had appeared in his home only a few days after he’d killed Zoso. He’d hidden it away, unsure of its meaning and yet knowing, somehow, that it was important. He’d found the book - likely the same book that Belle had used to decipher the markings on his son’s hand - many years later, but to this day he couldn’t remember much of what he’d read. The vault was, supposedly, the place that the first Dark One had been made, but why he would have gone there simply didn’t make sense. He was dead, and dead was dead, wasn’t it?

Long, thin fingers ghosted over the tomb stone and something akin to hope hatched deep within his chest. “I spent my whole life searching for you, Bae, just to tell you I loved you. Then, after I did, I had to prove it. You knew in the end how much I loved you, but son, that’s still not enough. I need you and if there’s even a glimmer, even a chance, I’m going to find it. I swear it.”

Only the rustling of the leaves answered him. “I love you, son.”

* * *

 

 

Henry liked Mary Margaret, but sometimes he felt like she wanted to be to be liked in return a bit too much. There were times when she acted like she knew him, and the couple of times he'd asked she brushed it off as something his mom had told her. She was lying to him, and not very well.

His mom had been gone late into the night, though he thought he'd heard her talking lowly to someone right outside of the apartment door, and he'd woken up the next morning to find her gone again, neither of them ever making it back to their room at Granny’s. David was in the kitchen. He looked like he must have been out all night too, but he was making breakfast, the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear as he stirred what looked like pancake mix in a bowl. “Well was anyone hurt?” he asked into the receiver.

The teen took a seat at the breakfast bar, pulling the book that he’d received from Belle the day before out to look through. He couldn’t explain it really. It wasn’t like he’d really read fairy tales since he was a kid - thirteen was most certainly  _not_  a kid, no matter what everyone said - but there was something enticing to it. Something… familiar. He couldn’t place it, but he figured in a world that made less sense than usual he could spare himself a few minutes to take a breath and glance through it.

“Well that’s good at least,” David was saying as Henry turned a thick, glossed page and glanced up at him. The blond man offered him a brief smile and he found himself looking back and forth between the picture in the storybook and the man on the phone, studying both carefully.

“Okay. He’ll be at Granny’s right? We’ll get more answers there.” He dropped the phone back to its cradle and turned his blue eyes on Henry. “Morning.”

“Morning.”

“Want some hot chocolate?”

“Sure. Everything okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, you guys were after the person that killed my dad, right? I could see how that could turn out ‘not alright.’”

“For the most part,” David answered uneasily and topped the hot chocolate with cinnamon.

Henry took it, not bothering to ask how David had known. Everyone in this bizarre little town seemed to know every quirk that he had, like they’d known him all his life. “Where’s Mom?”

“She… Well she went out.” He looked uncomfortable with the steady gaze that the teen was now giving him and poured the batter onto the griddle, sending steam up from the pancakes he was making. “I’ve got to go check on a few things this morning. Apparently there was some arsen last night and Mr Gold’s pawn shop was set on fire. I need to go check into that. Will you make sure Mary Margaret eats?”

“Yeah. The pawn shop burned down?”

“I’m not sure how bad it is yet. I’m going to run by and see.”

“Anyone get hurt?”

“No, it sounds like everyone’s more or less okay from it.”

Henry nodded and watched him carefully as he flipped the breakfast cake. He glanced back down to his book at the blond man staring up at him from it, an identical scar on his chin. “Where’d you get that scar?”

“What scar?” Henry pointed to the place on his own face and David’s fingers went to the spot. “Mary Margaret actually gave it to me… accidently, of course. A long time ago.”

Dark eyes shifted between the picture and the man and he snapped the book closed. This place was weird and it was giving him even weirder ideas. He wasn’t sure he liked it, but he was sure that it made him feel as crazy as he was sure the rest of them were. An entire town couldn’t be filled with crazy people, though, could it?

David finished the pancakes and handed Henry his, taking the other plate in to his wife. There was definitely more going on in this place than his mom had admitted to him. Between Killian, Mary Margaret, and pretty much anyone else that he ran across, something strange was going on in Storybrooke and he certainly wasn’t too old for a good mystery. He had to fill the time somehow, didn’t he? He waited until David had left before poking his head back into Mary Margaret’s room. “Hey? I’m going to go over to the diner. I’ve got some homework to catch up on.”

“I should go with you,” she started, but Henry shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s seriously a five minute walk.”

She looked hesitant and Henry thought for a moment that she’d keep pushing, but when he flashed his most innocent grin she seemed to relent. “Straight there.”

The grin didn’t fade as the teen waved his goodbye and was out the door, bag in hand. It was time to get some answers.

  
  
  


* * *

 

There was something different in Rumple in the morning and Belle knew it when she spoke to him on the phone. He’d been at Bae’s grave already and she couldn’t blame him for wanting time alone there, but there was something she didn’t expect in his tone. She couldn’t quite place it even when they met just outside of Granny’s Diner and she reached out, taking hold of his hand and lacing her fingers through his. He was closed off, thinking, but not willing to share. Be patient, she reminded herself. For all the power he held, Rumplestiltskin had been through a lot. He knew she was there for him and she’d be there when he was ready to open up.

Granny shot a look over her halfmoon glasses as they entered, but it softened a bit when Belle waved. “They’re at the back table already,” she offered.

_They_  turned out to be quite a crowd. Regina sat next to Robin, looking up instantly as her former teacher and Belle approached the table. David, Emma, Hook, Tink, Archie, and Grumpy sat around them and Ruby was leaning against the counter to join in.  An extra table had been pulled over so that they could accommodate the crowd and the bell rang behind them, announcing the final arrival.

Belle felt Rumple tense next to her, obviously unhappy with the newcomer. The Blue Fairy strode in with her head held high and passed them as if they didn’t even exist, taking a seat next to David and immediately speaking lowly to him.

“Well this is quite a gathering,” Rumplestiltskin murmured, his voice dancing only a little and gaining Blue’s brief attention with it.

“Pull up a couple of chairs,” David offered and he sat up straight. Mary Margaret wasn’t there to take charge, so he and Emma seemed to be the ones that everyone looked to. “Heard about your shop.”

Dark eyes narrowed irritably even as he brought a seat for himself and Belle closer. “I’ll have it put back together soon enough. Zelena’s tantrum did less damage that she would have prefered.”

“But she doesn’t have your dagger, right?” Tink asked, eyes fixated on Rumplestiltskin. She was curious and Belle liked her. She had a feeling that Rumple wouldn’t mind her, particularly, if she hadn’t been a fairy.

“I have it,” Rumplestiltskin answered evenly. “I’m in control now.”

“Unless she’s told you to say that,” Grumpy countered around a bitefull of bacon.

Belle reached over and took hold of his hand, the touch seeming to dissipate a rather nasty response that was already building there. She squeezed and he lifted his free hand, the dagger appearing in a poof of magic and his name was clearly scrawled across the blade. He hated showing it to anyone, she knew, and he’d be even more possessive over its whereabouts after being controlled in such a way. She wasn’t sure she could stop him if anyone even  _looked_  like they were going to make a go for it and she hoped to everything that no one made a foolish request to hold onto it for him.

“Fair enough,” Grumpy answered with a shrug and the blade was gone in a moment, back to a hiding place that even Belle didn’t know.

“Rumplestiltskin,” Blue said, her voice holding that superiority that spoke of both her age and the place that she saw herself holding in this little group, “you were held captive by the Witch-”

“I am well aware that I was,” he bit out before she could finished and looked only slightly satisfied when she gave the barest of flinches.

Blue cleared her throat. “What I mean… You must have spoken to her.”

“We had quite a few  _conversations_ , yes. Get to your point.”

Now she looked offended, but Tink answered for her. “I think what Blue is trying to get at is: what does she want?”

The question sent murmurs around the table and Regina straightened a bit at this. No one had been fool enough to approach him on anything having to do with his captivity last night - something Belle had been relieved over - but the knowledge was necessary. Curiosity was one thing. That could wait or be done away with entirely, but this was something that he must have known would be needed at the earliest possible moment.

Rumplestiltskin pulled in a breath and tightened his grip on Belle’s hand under the table. “She wants to cast a spell to change the past.”

“You said that was impossible,” Emma countered.

“It is, dearie, but that doesn’t mean that people haven’t been trying to break that rule for centuries.”

“She’s been gathering ingredients,” Regina pointed out. “Charming’s courage and she wants my heart.”

“Those are for the spell.”

Former student and teacher’s eyes met and there was a brief, silent conversation between them. “It won’t work,” she said slowly.

“Of course it won’t, not the way she wants it to of course. She’ll end up doing a great deal of damage in the process, though.” He turned to the others and suddenly Belle felt like she was back in the Dark Castle as he walked her through something magical that she hadn’t understood. “There are three main laws to magic: You can’t make someone fall in love, you can’t change the past, and you can’t bring back the dead. It wasn’t as if a sorcerer woke up one day and decided these would be a good idea. They’ve been set in the fabric of the worlds since magic was first discovered.” He shot a look at Blue that silenced whatever she might have been wanting to say. “Some of us have to work for it, dearie.”

“So what happens when someone tries to break one of these laws?” David asked carefully.

“Usually they die trying,” Rumple answered with a shrug.

“But if she has Regina’s heart she’ll take her down too,” Robin pointed out from his place.

“And likely anyone within a fifty mile radius of the spell. It will rebound and there’s not enough in her to pay that price. It’ll level Storybrooke and possibly then some.” He paused, closing his eyes briefly and released Belle’s hand. “Won’t it, dearie?”

Belle was not the only one to jump at his last phrase, especially when the giggle accompanied it. She’d had her back to the room - as had Rumple, but that obviously hadn’t mattered - so she hadn’t seen her entrance. No one had, from the way they all gawked at the Wicked Witch as she stood brazenly in the middle of the diner.

“Oh, Rumple,” she pouted, “you really should have more faith in your former students. I may level Storybrooke, but only because I want to, not because I’ve failed.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Rumple faces Zelena for the first time since he's been freed, David asks a stupid question, and Henry follows his intuition.


	5. Chapter 5

"Didn't you get enough last night?" Regina sneered, standing with the table between she and the Witch, though it would hardly be a concern should she decide to go after her  _dear_  elder sister. While she tended to prefer her morning coffee before a good battle, adrenaline could be just as useful as caffeine.

"Oh, pipe down, sis," Zelena growled back and Granny started rushing the few people that hadn't been there for the meeting out of her diner. The door slammed closed in one woman's face and the witch pulled all the blinds down as well with a flick of her fingers. "Take a seat. All of you."

"No one's taking orders from you," Emma said as she took a step forward, her gun out and ready.

"Is that so? Really, dear, how much good did that do you last night? How much good has it ever done you in Storybrooke, for that matter?"

The gun was gone in a poof of green smoke, Emma left staring at her hands where it had been, and some of the others that were less prone to being in the middle of the fight started inching backwards away from Zelena. She gave a triumphant skrik and looked ready to turn her attention back to her younger sister when Rumplestiltskin began to chuckle. "You've made your point, Zelena. Look at you." He stood, hands dancing as he spoke and mockery dripping from every word. "So, so talented. We're all so impressed."

The gleeful smile immediately darkened and the witch's lips pulled into a pout. He'd struck a nerve and the whole diner could see it in her expression. "Found a new master, Rumple? The Charmings keeping you on a tight leash?"

"Oh, they wouldn't know how, dearie," Rumple answered with a wide, impish grin.

"Then your pretty little rose, hmm?"

The grin didn't falter. "Give it up, Zelena. You're not going to win."

"Why, because good triumphs of evil?" she asked silkily. "You've been around this crowd a bit too long."

"Now that's just silly. You're not going to win, because I'm going to kill you."

Belle risked a glance. Zelena had been so distracted by Rumple's baiting that she hadn't noticed Robin slipping around to one side, David to another, and and Ruby blocking the door. Rumple knew, though. He had to know.

"Then stop talking and  _do_  it!" Grumpy yelled.

"Gladly," he snapped back, gathering his magic so that it took the form of a fire in his hand. But then he paused, just a second or two too long, and she flashed a smile like she knew something that no one else did and she was gone before the attack hit, dissipating before it did any real damage to the diner. He stood staring at the place where she'd been, dark eyes fixated and then he straightened, very slowly and Belle moved to stand next to him.

"It's alright," she promised quietly, taking his hand in her own.

"It's not alright. He missed."

"Shut it, dwarf," Regina snapped and for a moment Belle was certain she was the only one in their court. The others watched him carefully, their gazes bordering on distrustful.

"What was she after?" Emma asked.

"Just what it sounded like, I'd suppose," Rumple answered slowly, eyes unfocused and Belle could feel his hand beginning to tremble in her own. "The location of my dagger. She obviously thought that one of you would have had it."

"Perhaps-"

" _No_ ," Rumplestiltskin growled out, his voice low and dangerous and David took a physical step back. It took a moment for the sorcerer to gather his composure enough to speak again. "No, it stays with me. I will not be shackled to someone in such a way ever again. And-" he took a steadying breath and Belle's grip tightened - "even while our goals are inline - to defeat the witch - if any one of you tries to  _take_  it from me, I will kill you just as surely as I kill her."

Belle's breath caught as magic swirled around him and he was gone, leaving only air in her grip.

"I'm just going to say what everyone else is thinking," Granny said from her place behind the counter. "There's a fine chance that he's still working with her, despite what he says. We've never been able to trust him to be straight with us before about his goals, why are we starting now?"

"She has a point," Grumpy agreed and there were some murmurs amongst them.

Regina looked ready to take on the argument on behalf of her former teacher, but Belle's voice was sharp as one of the innkeeper's kitchen blades. "Shame on you, Granny." All eyes turned to her and she stood straight, clear gaze as biting as her words. "Shame on any of you that think so. And you, David, I thought you were better than that."

"Belle, Rumplestiltskin has always-"

"I know what Rumple has  _always_  done. He's  _always_  gotten to his goals. His means are often things that none of us could ever fathom using and sometimes he needs someone to hold his hand and remind him that he's  _not_  the monster that everyone expects him to be, but to think that he's working with  _her_  after what she  _did_  to him… I've been disappointed by a lot of people in my life, but I've never been as disappointed as I am now. He's hurting. He lost his son." She turned her look directly at David. "What if it'd been Emma? Could you ever side with someone who had even hurt her, much more killed her?"

"Of course not, but he  _did_."

"Because she was controlling him with his dagger. Don't you see? You think you're trying to do good by taking it, that you're trying to tame some beast, but what you don't seem to realize is that there's a man that is breaking under all the sharp words. It's not right to own a person, to make them do anything that they wouldn't do on their own. If you were to take his dagger, you'd be no different from Zelena."

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" Blue asked from her place.

"She's got a point," Tink said with a shrug. "Controlling him for good or controlling him for evil is still controlling him for a person's own reasons."

"It comes down to the question of how much we trust Rumplestiltskin," Archie said, finally breaking his silence and all eyes turned to the conscience.

"He's always proven himself to have his own agenda," Blue said sternly, her disdain open and obvious.

"But Gold was right. Our interests are inline. If there's one thing I can trust about him, it's that he loved Neal. He'll do what needs to be done to take out Zelena."

Belle watched as the tide gradually turned in Rumple's favour and she felt the breath she hadn't realized she was holding escape her. From a few feet away, Regina offered her a nod and for the first time she was sure that they had something in common.

"Belle?"

"Hmm?"

Archie had moved closer to her and his gaze behind those round glasses of his was serious. "You were right. He does need someone there to help him through those dark moments. I've known him for a very long time now and he's at his best with you. I hope you know how good you've been for him."

Belle couldn't help but smile. "Rumple says I make him stronger, but what he doesn't realize - what he won't let himself realize - is that he makes me stronger too."

"It sounds like you're good for each other then."

"Yeah. We are."

* * *

He'd hated to leave Belle there, but he needed to be alone in that moment. There hadn't been time to ask her if she'd wanted to stay or even linger with the accusations already tipping off their tongues. He'd seen enough mobs in his life to know how that could have easily ended. They would have demanded the blade, and when he'd refused to give it up, they would have been fool enough to try to force him. That wouldn't have ended well for anyone, but least of all them.

Anyway, they'd always liked Belle better and he had faith in her that she could smooth any feathers he'd ruffled.

Rumplestiltskin wasn't surprised that his magic took him to the wreck that was his shop. He'd grown to love the little place during their time under the curse and he'd been no less fond of it the day that Emma Swan had come marching into Storybrooke and snapped him out of it. There'd been many long nights that he'd spent tinkering with this and that, repairing things that he could and often selling people's own forgotten belongings back to them. It had been a game, once he'd regained his memories and before the others had, meant to pass the unreasonable amount of time that it took Emma to break the damn thing.

Zelena's spell had done a number on it, and Rumple could still feel the burns along his body as he moved. The glamour hid the ones on his face and as he picked his way through the rubble that had once been the front of the shop, he realized that he perhaps should have been more badly injured. Though he wasn't entirely sure how immortality worked in the Land Without Magic if someone were to deal him a serious blow, his magic - his curse, really - had reacted faster than he ever could and had shielded him from at least part of the it.

Now that same magic was pulling the pieces of his shop back together and he watched what looked like the explosion was happening in reverse and in slow motion. His mind wandered, finding the person responsible for the mess at the forefront of his thoughts. If he were honest about it - and likely she'd seen it anyway - Belle would tell him he hadn't been ready to face Zelena like he just had. He'd put on a good show, of course, but the moment that their eyes had actually met he'd frozen and he was kneeling in the snow and clinging to his dying son all over again.

_Oops_.

He shuddered, sidestepping the array of glass that had once belonged to a countertop and would soon belong again. The wood floor laid itself back in place and the bicycles came back together up on their wracks. Books, pages having been burnt and scattered, strung themselves back together and worked their way into the shelves in a manner that could only mean Belle had been organizing them.

The spell had been placed hastily, he knew, because the one on his home had been. He'd stopped by on the way to the diner earlier to unravel it and had found that it hadn't taken nearly as long as he would have thought. Zelena was talented, but so much of that talent was skewed by her uncontrolled emotions. Magic was driven by emotion, of course, but one had to be able to reign them in. She had never learned that lesson well. Rage she had, anger she had, but that happy moment she would always spoil.

Everything was set back in place now without a speck of dust showing that it had been a tattered mess twenty minutes before. The shop owner let his eyes wander, taking a mental inventory. There were the paintings and the globes, the maps and the china sets, jewelry and even the glass mobile that had hung over Emma's crib had made it back into one piece. Lamps and dolls and clocks were set just right. Even the small dagger collection he'd kept was there, but something was most certainly missing.

"Where is it?" he muttered, looking up to the shelf that it should sit on. He moved to every nook and cranny, looking in and around everything else and feeling the unreasonable panic fill him. It wasn't there. He couldn't find it.

Rumple stormed back into his office and found everything as it should be there, but it wasn't there either. He turned, about ready to throw the contents of his work table to the floor in his rage when his eyes found a book sitting there, the title scrawled in runes that he recognized and he had to steady himself as he swayed. "Bae," he whispered brokenly, reaching out to it. It was marked at just the wrong spot, telling all that was known about the Dark One's vault.  _A life for a life_. "Oh Bae."

The bell jingled at the front and he looked up, blinking away the tears that threatened. It was probably Belle, there after cleaning up the mess he'd made. His apology died on his tongue, though, as he found eyes identical to his own staring at him as he exited the back. Henry offered him a wave. "Hey. You must be Mr Gold. Belle said you'd be back sooner or later. I'd heard there was some kind of explosion here or something last night."

"The damage was… easy to repair. Already done, as you can see," Rumple answered his grandson carefully.

"Yeah, I get the feeling everyone exaggerates a little here. I'm Henry Swan. My mom's Emma and we're-"

"Yes, I know your mother quite well."

"Everyone does. Belle said… you knew my dad too?"

There was enough of Emma in the boy that he wasn't a carbon copy of Bae at that age, but it was damn close. Those eyes and the way that his hair fell all over the place, no matter how well he might try to tame it, it was all his Baelfire. There was no mistaking it and he hadn't counted on how much it would hurt to see Henry again. Especially since Emma had made her wishes quite clear that morning.

"I did. Quite well, in fact," he managed and leaned on the counter.

"You weren't at the funeral."

"I was… detained."

Henry seemed to weigh the phrasing carefully. He'd always been such a clever boy. "I'm actually here because I think you might be able to help me," he said at last, setting his backpack up on the glass counter that separated them and pulled out a book that Rumple recognized well. The boy had toted it around Storybrooke, figuring out each of its cursed inhabitants for who they really were. He'd admitted to him while they were in New York that he couldn't figure out exactly who Mr Gold correlated with at first, to which Rumple had been unexplainably pleased. At least it had helped ease the nerves on waiting for Emma to bring his son to him as they sat waiting outside of Neal Cassidy's apartment.

"You may think I'm crazy, but something weird is going on in this town. Belle let me have this the other day - I found it in your shop - and I've been looking through it. I was like… the fairy tale guru when I was a kid, and I've never seen any like these." He flipped the book open, pointing to the picture of Snow and Charming's wedding. "See this? This guy looks  _exactly_  like David Nolan. He's even got a scar in the same place. Mary Margaret looks a lot like her too. And then here-" he flipped over a few pages "- is Ruby from the diner. Here's Mayor Mills. I even found Belle somewhere… Where did that go?"

Rumplestiltskin watched his grandson with a sense of awe striking him. Regina's curse was a powerful thing. He'd written it, of course, but she'd really brought it to life. Henry had been the one to crack it the first time - oh, Emma was the savior, but Henry was the boy that brought it all together - and here he was at it again even though he was directly affected by the false memories. He was battling through it, reaching for the truth. He wondered if Emma knew that, and if she didn't, if knowing it would change her mind.

"Here? See? But  _this_  -" he flipped back - "is what really got me." The book fell open to a picture of Bae as a boy, holding his kickball and begging his father not to turn their neighbor into a snail. "First, I thought maybe the writer was from Storybrooke and had used the people as inspiration or something. I don't know. It was the only thing that made sense, but then I saw this." He stuffed a hand into his bag and pulled out the same ball.

"You found it," Rumple breathed. He'd been ready to tear his shop apart for that.

"Belle gave it to me. She said it was my dad's." He looked hesitant now and Rumple tried pull himself together. "Did… you want it back?"

"No. No, that's alright. It was your father's. You should have it."

Henry nodded slowly and pointed to the book. "That's the same ball, isn't it? It's just… weird. Everything here is and none of it makes any sense. When my dad died, suddenly my mom started going on and on about him like she'd seen him since he left. Everyone in this town seems to have known him, but no one can give me a straight answer about him. I don't know what to believe anymore. Was he some bad guy like my mom's told me my whole life, or was he some sort of hero? No one will tell me. And why-" The boy's voice caught and Rumple saw tears gathering in his eyes, finding their way down his cheeks even as he tried to stop them. "Why do I feel like I should remember him? It hurts like I lost someone I loved, but I don't even know him."

Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure when he'd rounded the counter or even when his grandson gave up the pretense of being closer to adulthood than any thirteen year old should ever be, but the teen had the book clutched tightly to his chest, tears rolling down his face. Rumple stood there, feeling the pain wash over them both and he chose his words very carefully. "Your father… was a good man. One of the best I've ever known. He made mistakes. He was human, but he loved you, Henry. More than anything."

"Then why didn't he come back for me?"

"It was… complicated."

Henry sniffed, wiping at the tears. "How'd you know him."

"I knew him since he was a boy," Rumple sidestepped, but Henry would have none of it.

"Yeah, but how did you know him? Were you related?"

Emma would have to understand. If she didn't, he couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't deny his son. He wouldn't. A very small smile found its way to his thin lips. "Neal was my son," she said slowly.

"But Killian said that my dad's dad was dead."

Rumple tensed. "Did he now?"

"That's what I thought, but he doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. Still not sure what he does… other than flirt with my mom."

Rumplestiltskin made a noncommittal noise and Henry smiled. "Guess that makes you my grandpa, doesn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it does."

"Do you think I'm crazy? With the book, I mean?"

"No, Henry. It's quite a puzzle you've found in that."

"Can you help me figure it out?"

What was left of the smile faded. "No, I'm afraid I can't. This is a journey you must go on for yourself."

"Could you… Would you at least visit my dad's grave with me? Just sometime before we leave?"

Rumple nodded. "I think that's something we can manage."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Henry approaches Emma about the secrets she's been keeping and Zelena strikes out at the place where Regina keeps her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

He was good, he knew, but even he wasn't  _that_  good. His mom didn't bother trying to stop the door from slamming as she flung it back on the way in and she looked  _pissed_. "Where the hell have you been all day?"

Henry held up the history book he'd been pretending to read on. "Just getting ahead on a little bit of my homework."

"Save it. Superpower, remember?"

"Mom, I know you don't have a superpower."

"Doesn't mean I can't tell when you're lying," Emma Swan answered as she sat down with him on the bed, pulling the book away and closing it. "What's up, kid? Why'd you lie to Mary Margaret?"

"You want the truth or a well crafted story?" His mom shot him  _the look_  and he cringed. "Okay, so I know that you haven't been straight with me about this town. Lots of stuff from your past, I get that, but something is really weird here."

"Getting to the point today?"

"Don't think I'm crazy." He pulled the book from under his pillow and started to explain what he'd noticed about David. From David, he moved to Mary Margaret, then to Ruby, Granny, and Belle. "Leroy looks like this dwarf here - Grumpy - and… When were you going to tell me?" He hadn't meant to just come out and ask, and truth be told, without mind reading capabilities to go with her so-called superpower, his mom had no chance of knowing what he was talking about. "That my grandfather lives here. That I have a grandfather at all."

Emma went pale and her phone buzzed in her pocket. She reached back to silence it before managing one small word. "What?"

"I went by Mr Gold's shop again today and he was there. We talked, Mom. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"I was going to…"

"No you weren't. Why?"

"It's… complicated." He could see the panic set in. She had a look when she didn't want to deal with something, so when she stood abruptly he couldn't quite bring himself to be surprised. "I have to take care of something."

"You're running from this."

"I'm not, I just-"

"Why do you keep lying to me? Why is  _everyone_  lying to me? What is so huge that you can't say?" He felt himself deflate, the questions that had been bubbling inside of him coming out and he had never felt so confused in all of his life. Why couldn't she just say something?

Her next excuse was cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing in her pocket again, though it continued this time. She reached down and answered. "Yeah?" Her eyes grew a bit wider and she nodded, acknowledging the caller carefully. "We'll be right over," she promised and looked over at her son as she ended the call. "Mary Margaret's having her baby. Get your stuff. We're going to the hospital."

* * *

If you had asked Robin Hood during the time before the Dark Curse had been broken, he would have said that he would never love again. He would never even come close to loving again. When his Marian had passed, he'd put everything he had into their child and Roland had truly become the center of his world. The curse broke, time started again, and he finally was able to see him start to grow and with each passing day he looked more and more like his mama. The boy couldn't remember her now and his father had done everything he knew to do to keep her memory alive with him, and that had included closing his heart off to anything more than a flirtatious wink to the women around him.

He still had no idea what had happened in their Lost Year, but he was certain something had, because when he'd come across Regina at the farm house his heart had skipped a beat in a way that it hadn't since Marian. She was nothing like the stories said, though he thought that was perhaps due more to what she'd experienced during the Dark Curse than too many lies spreading through Sherwood Forest. She was feisty and dangerous in all the ways he should stay away from, but there was  _something_  there that he couldn't ignore. A pull.

When she'd asked him to hold onto her heart there had been no mistaking the significance there. She wasn't one to let it go so easily and he could almost read it in her eyes that it wasn't just that he was a convenient choice. He'd read it in her actions sense as she and he seemed drawn together at any point in which they were in the same room.

"Papa, you're suppose to play," Roland's voice broke through his thoughts and his five-year-old was looking up at him expectantly.

Robin broke out in a grin, scooping the child up and holding him close. "I'm sorry, lad. I was thinking."

"About the lady with the dark hair?"

For five he was damn clever. He'd really have to watch that as he got older. "Perhaps," he said with the grin only growing and he swung Roland around to sit on his shoulder.

"She's pretty."

Blue eyes looked up, meeting brown. Marian's eyes. "Do you think so?"

"Uh-huh," the little boy answered and there was simply no fooling him. He'd caught wind of his father's attraction to the so-called Evil Queen much earlier than Robin had anticipated. "Does she like you too?"

"I believe she may," his papa answered carefully.

"Are you going to marry her?"

"Woh, now. That's a bit quick, don't you think? You haven't even met her."

"Yes I have. She made the monkey go away."

Robin's brows drew together and he set his son down. "What monkey?"

The little boy shrugged his shoulders. "She made it into a doll. It was fuzzy."

"I think you were dreaming, lad." Robin waited for his son to answer, but the boy's eyes only grew wide, focused on something behind him. The archer turned, seeing the howling monkey swooping in and he grabbed Roland and dove. They rolled, the child crying out in his father's arms and when they stopped Robin yelled. "Run, Roland! Back to the town! Don't stop."

"But-"

"Don't stop!"

Roland took off, tears in his eyes and Robin dodged another clawed foot aimed at him. His bow was several yards away. He'd been playing with his five-year-old, what did he need it for? For flying monkeys. Of course. That's the natural response.

He cursed as he lunged for it, the monkey smarter than he'd hoped for and cutting off his path. He felt the claws bite through his clothing and into his skin as it slammed him back into the dirt and pinned him there. He struggled and it screamed in his face.

"Now now, my beautiful one," a silky voice reached his ears. "There's no need to damage him too badly. I need him able to speak after all."

Robin groped to the side with his free hand - the other pinned down at an awkward angle beneath him and he was sure to feel that one for a while - and found a rock. It connected with Zelena's pet and sent it howling and screeching to the side, the outlaw on his feet in an instant.

"No, that won't do," Zelena tutted and the ground rose up around his ankles like shackles. He was stuck and there was no moving from it. He fixed his best defying glare on her as she strutted forward. "Hello, outlaw," she greeted and stepped up so that she was uncomfortably close.

"Whatever you want, you won't get from me," he snapped, still struggling against the ground beneath him.

"Oh stop. I promise that she's really not worth it."

"She?"

"Regina."

"What do you think I could possibly tell you about Regina?"

The smile broadened and she reached a hand to the side of his face. "Where she keeps her heart of course."

"And I repeat: what do you think I could possibly tell you about Regina?"

A shock ran through him, like he'd been struck by lightning and it was everything he could do to stay upright. The locks around his feet kept him from stumbling, but they didn't go up nearly to his knees to keep them from threatening to buckle.

"Is this the game we're really going to play?"

"I suppose it is," Robin rasped out and felt another rush of power move through him for his efforts.

"Good. I was hoping you'd be fun."

* * *

Regina had not been the first person to arrive at the hospital, but her timing did correspond with the realization that it had been a false alarm. She pointed out, rather irritably, that while Snow had missed out on her daughter's life, she hadn't actually missed out on her birth and should have known better. The comment did not win her any favour from those that had gathered at the hospital. Not that she had just a whole lot of favour to be had from them in the first place.

There were more moments than she cared to count in which the former Evil Queen looked around her and hardly recognized her life. Once her name struck fear into the hearts of those around her. They knew, beyond any doubt, that to cross her meant either misery or death, and sometimes - often - both. Now she was surrounded by dwarves and fairies and people that sat on the Charmings' counsels back during their war. Granny shot her looks from her place and Archie had tried to offer a kind word that just came out as a stutter. Honestly, she didn't know why they bothered. She didn't care if she was standing off by herself, not really, but part of her did almost wish for someone to talk to. Not this lot, of course, but someone.

Robin had been out with his son this evening, having been caught up in everything the last few days. She'd known about him, of course, and he spoke about him often. The boy's mother had died shortly after his death, from what the archer had said, though he hadn't lingered on that particular story. The pain in his eyes reminded Regina of her own every time that someone had mentioned Daniel shortly after his death. That pain would still be there, of course, but thankfully no one was fool enough to mention him around her. She wouldn't be fool enough to bring up his dead love's name either, if for nothing else than she knew what it did to a person to lose their True Love.

"Thinking about someone?" a voice chirped in her ear.

"No," came the automatic reply, but Tinker Bell's expression said that she wasn't fooled for an instant.

"Uh-huh. You've always got that wistful look on your face. Almost like it's carved there or something…"

Regina rolled her eyes, but a smirk tugged at her lips. "Okay. Okay, you caught me."

"I knew it!" Tink nearly shrieked, but quieted her voice instantly. "You two have been together a bit more, right? I've seen you together."

"We've been working," Regina said carefully. "He came in very handy in retrieving Rumple's dagger."

"That why you always seem to find a seat next to him when we're all together?"

"I don't always…. I have been, haven't I?"

"Oh yes you have."

The excitement was radiating off of the fairy as she was nearly bouncing with it. Regina had never particularly liked the idea of being someone's pet project. She hadn't wanted the responsibility of it, and when it came down to it, she'd made herself believe it most certainly wasn't her responsibility if Tink had stuck her neck out for her. She wouldn't necessarily admit it now, but a twinge of regret came with her own fear now that she was getting to know Robin, but in the end she would never have known Henry and he would never have married Marian and had Roland. So, in a way, it had worked out. The fates must have a sense of what needed to happen after all.

The doors to the waiting room swished open, grabbing queen and fairy's attention alike and Emma strode in with Henry in tow. Regina felt her breath catch at the sight of her adopted son and if her heart had been in her chest it would have stopped with the way he looked at her with no more interest than he looked at everyone else. In fact, his gaze seemed to linger on her for only the briefest of seconds before it darted to the others. "Wait with Ruby?" Emma told him and he didn't seem happy with the request.

"What'd you do to him?" Regina asked and Emma shot her a glare.

"This really isn't the time. How's Mary Margaret?"

"False alarm."

"Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Regina snapped. "They brought us all out here for nothing. Typical."

Emma's shoulders slumped and she let out a long sigh. Regina continued to watch her until she began to shift uncomfortably under her gaze. "Henry found out Gold's his grandfather."

"How?"

"I think Gold told him. We didn't finish the conversation, but he's not happy that I hadn't told him."

Regina quirked an eyebrow at her and Tink made a hasty excuse to duck off to the rest of the group. "You let Henry go wandering around to Gold's shop alone?"

"He snuck out."

"Wonder where he learned that."

"This is serious, Regina. He was out on his own. What happens if Zelena figures out who he is? Worse, who he is to you?"

"What are you asking for, Emma? It's not like I-"

"How do I convince him to stay put?"

Regina blinked. "Are you coming to me for parenting advice?"

"Well it's not like he's ever gone sneaking around in the memories that you gave us and-"

"And he was sneaking around to see  _you_  in your real memories," Regina murmured. "I get it."

"I just want to keep him safe."

"Then talk to Gold about brewing him a memory potion. He's his grandson. He probably won't even charge you."

"He's offered."

Regina shrugged. "Not sure what the problem is. If you can explain why this quaint little town is dangerous, you'll have a better chance of getting him to stay with someone."

Anything Emma was going to say was cut off when they both looked around to the newest attendee to the overreaction that had been Charming's text. Belle was coming in, her expression worried as she carried a little boy in her arms that Regina recognized as Robin's son, but what the bookworm was doing with Roland she couldn't fathom.

As soon as the little one's eyes found her he squirmed out of Belle's arms and shot straight for the former Evil Queen. They'd never been introduced, but the boy must have seen her somewhere because he seemed to know exactly who she was. "It took my papa!" he announced, nearly launching himself into her arms.

Regina scooped him up without pause. "Roland?" she asked, unsure as to why she'd be the one he went to.

He was crying and he wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face in her shoulder. "The big, mean monkey took my papa," he sobbed. He pulled back, looking at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Will you save him?"

Zelena had Robin. The bitch had actually made a grab for him and gotten him. The queen felt rage burn inside of her and she held onto the little boy in her arms protectively. "Of course I will," she promised him. "Where were you?"

"In the woods. By the stream. We were playing bandits."

"What's going on?" Henry's voice sounded from behind and Regina put Roland down, but the boy began to wail again.

"I want to go with you!"

She knelt down so that she was on eye level with him. "Sweetie, you need to stay here. It might be dangerous. I promise you we'll bring your papa back. Okay?"

"Okay," Roland agreed after a moment.

"I'll take them both over to the diner if you want," Ruby offered and Henry made a face.

"I was actually thinking about-"

"No, I need you to go back to the diner with Ruby and Roland, kid."

"What got his dad?"

Emma looked uncomfortable. "Some sort of wild animal maybe. We're going to go check."

"Be careful?"

"Of course, kid. And Henry?"

"Yeah Mom?"

"Stay at Granny's."

Even as he agreed Regina knew that he would. He'd always expected her to lie to him, but never Emma. Emma was the mother he'd always wanted and now had. But she couldn't focus on that now. She had to focus on finding Robin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - The search for Robin continues and Rumplestiltskin visits a certain Mad Hatter for the key to the plan he's been pulling together.


	7. Chapter 7

Three days. Robin had been missing for three days and as much as Belle thought that perhaps she should hold a grudge, she couldn't quite bring herself to do so against the woman that she could literally feel the anguish rolling off of by now. They'd combed the woods, the town, and the docks, and when they'd found nothing, they'd started again. Zelena had to be keeping him somewhere within the town lines, but they hadn't found him yet.

The little boy that she'd found on her way to the hospital had known Regina, thankfully, and Belle had wondered how someone with such darkness in her life could have such a good affect on children. He'd taken to her immediately though. He was at Granny's along with Henry now, while Emma, Regina, David, and even Hook were supposed to meet them to renew the search this morning. Robin's men had taken a shift through the night to let the others get some rest.

Then there was Rumple. She'd asked him to come help look the first day and he'd made a snide remark about the others not wishing to be around someone that they couldn't trust - remarking all the while that that never seemed to stop them when they needed something from him - and she'd assumed it was a defense against what he was feeling over freezing in the first battle against the woman that had held him captive. Not that he'd actually told her anything like that, of course, but she'd thought she read it under the layers of prickly sarcasm. By the third day of looking, she had lost at least some confidence in her theory.

He'd locked himself away in the small study he kept in his house as soon as he'd returned from the shop. Belle had barely known he'd undone the spell around it and had hardly expected him to lock himself away. It was on the second day she'd seen the book, but he wouldn't talk to her about it. He brushed it off with a skilled mixture of clever words and stubbornness that would give nothing away.

"Have you never seen him get like that before?" Regina asked with a quirked eyebrow. Belle knew Rumple wouldn't be particularly pleased that she'd shared her questions with his former student, but as it stood, Regina seemed to be one of the only ones ready to back him. It was strange, considering how often they'd been at war with each other and the terrible deeds they'd swapped.

"I have," Belle answered slowly, thoughtfully. It was a fair question. How often had he secluded himself during their time in the Dark Castle? Any time that he needed to solve a problem or even the time when she'd walked in on the rememberance for Bae, there had been a curt wave of the hand and a demand that she go away as if she'd barely been worth the breath to say it. At least these days he was a bit more polite. To her, anyway. "I'm just worried, is all," she breathed at last, the words soft so only the queen could hear. "He keeps everything in."

"Lots of years of practice. Did you think you'd break it in the disjointed collection of months that you've spent with him?"

Belle had to bite her tongue to keep the remark about the power of True Love at bay. Regina had a point, as little as she wanted to admit it. There was no question that she and Rumple loved each other, or even that it was True Love, but their time together had been constantly interrupted by various degrees of trouble. "How can I help him if he won't let me in?"

Regina's expression softened, and Belle wondered if the queen had battled her own demons on that front. "People like Rumple and I have a hard time letting people in," she said slowly, as if weighing each word before it left her lips. "When we do find someone that would actually be worth letting past all the walls we've built... Well, you've seen what happens. Even if we can push past our own dark natures and ingrained habits of solitude, we open up that special person to every enemy we've ever made. It's enough to strain even True Love."

Belle reached out, startling the elder woman with the touch. "We're going to find him," she promised.

"I know. I just wonder what sort of state he'll be in. I knew better. I should have known better."

"You can't help who you fall in love with," Belle murmured softly. "And for what it's worth, the feeling appears to be mutual."

Regina stopped suddenly, looking over at their companions several yards away in any direction and combing through the thick woods. She leaned down, her voice a hissing whisper. "I gave him my heart."

"Well, that's...Wait. Literally?"

"I had to hide it somewhere and I... It seemed like the only viable option at the time."

The idea of people ripping hearts out at will - even their own, perhaps especially their own - still made Belle a little queasy, but the gesture certainly made sense. For the first time in what she could imagine was a very long time, Regina was feeling the pulls of love and finally giving to it. Now that she'd taken such a risky step - for both of them - she was second guessing it. "It's not you fault, Regina," Belle found herself murmuring.

"Isn't it? Zelena saw through it the moment I followed Robin into the cabin. She knew that's where I was keeping my heart and it certainly didn't take her long to go after him."

The guilt in her voice was something Belle was sure she'd never heard before. Each day that they looked without finding anything was weighing heavier on the dark haired woman. The first night that he'd been gone the Merry Men had taken Roland protectively into their own, but by the second the boy had cried and cried for Regina, even though none of them knew of a moment before he'd rushed into her arms that they'd actually met.

"Do you think that the two of you met? Before, I mean?" Belle asked as she began to duck under low hanging brush and Regina merely swept it away with her magic.

"During our so-called Lost Year? How should I know?"

The younger woman shrugged. "Just a thought."

"So what is Rumple so wrapped up in that has you worried?"

Belle knew a change of subject if she'd ever heard one. "He's reading on something, but he won't let me see what. Every time I get close it just disappears."

"You know him. What do you  _think_  he's working on?"

"I would assume some way to defeat Zelena. He's obsessed with it, and the whole bit with everyone the other day in the diner didn't help. I think that no matter how many times that he tells himself that he doesn't  _need_  their trust, he wouldn't mind having it now and again after all he's given."

"You put an awful lot of faith into the man beneath the curse," Regina murmured thoughtfully.

"You know he's there too."

"I do. It took me a long time to see it, but… He's there. He just hides it very, very well most of the time."

* * *

Rumplestiltskin's mind never actually stopped, but it hardly slowed when he had a project or a question he was working on. He'd always been clever and three centuries had allowed for the education to sharpen that wit into something extraordinary. When he set his mind to solving a problem, it was solved. No matter how long it took.

The question that lingered in his mind now was one that Emma Swan had posed, though probably with no hope of having it answered. If he'd been dead, how had Bae brought him back? If he'd truly died when he'd driven the Kris Dagger straight through Pan's back and into himself, not even the darkest of spells could have brought him back. No matter the desperation, he would have been unreachable.

So if he was not dead, was Bae? That was his conundrum that he had thrown everything into solving the last few days, shutting out all distraction as best as he could.

A pang of guilt hit him every time that he was reminded that that included Belle. She had been a steady presence since the night that they'd found his dagger and brought him out of Zelena's control, and he could tell she was doing her best not to smother him her her need to help. There was no help for what Zelena had done to him. There was only his revenge, and the more he read from the book he'd found on the Dark One's Vault, the more his revenge started to take shape in his mind.

He couldn't remember his time in the Vault. It was a blank, much like the year that followed for everyone else. He could have been in there days or weeks or months and he had no way of telling for sure. From what he read - much of it speculation and myth - it was where the first Dark One had been birthed out of the darkest spell mankind had ever known. He rolled his eyes at that. People tended to overdramatize things that they weren't sure of and usually they were far less grand than the myths made them sound. At any rate, there was plenty in the book that  _did_  catch his eye. Especially the part about exchanging a life for a life. If he was reading the old text right - he could have asked Belle, but that would have roped her into this potentially terrible and dark idea of his - it read that on the singular occasion that a Dark One was somehow killed without passing the curse to another, the soul could be brought up from the depths of the vault and exchanged with a living one. The key was shown in the artwork that accompanied it and Rumple could only imagine his son and Belle trudging through the snows with their goal in mind, knowing only half the story - if that much - and being so terribly wrong. The text could be translated in two ways:  _a life for a life_  or  _a soul for a soul_. It had made sense, given the state that Bae had been in for Belle to have translated it the way that she did and for them to have taken it afterwards, but looking over it again and again now, he couldn't help but hope.

If this was true, the last person to enter the vault - Dark One or not - could be brought back through a sacrifice to take the person's place. Rumplestiltskin had just the sacrifice that would in mind, though he hardly thought that any of the so-called heroes that populated Storybrooke would be onboard with dooming Zelena to an eternity in a pit meant for the damned souls of the Dark Ones come and gone. If given the choice, they'd moan amongst themselves, debating on the  _rightness_  of it and if they could possibly find a way to do away with her that didn't involve such a terrible fate. Belle, at least, would understand after it was all said and done, though he refused to put her in the place where she had to choose to keep it from the others. No, he wouldn't sully her conscious with his own endeavours.

Zelena was full enough of herself that goading her into a meeting would not be difficult. Between the book Belle had found, a few others that he had tucked away in his home library, and personal knowledge, he was quite sure he could force her into the vault without touching the key that seemed to have been left in the Enchanted Forest. The matter was bringing the vault itself to Storybrooke. That was going to be quite a feat, even for him. It would require the ability to rip a hole between the worlds, and for that, he knew only one specialist that would have been brought over to Storybrooke with them.

Rumplestiltskin had not seen Jefferson in many, many years. Their paths never crossed directly in Storybrooke - he wondered if the hatter had made that a personal goal - but they had most certainly crossed indirectly when Jefferson had released Belle from her cell beneath the hospital. The two of them went back and forth with so many favours that it had always been difficult to keep track of them, but as far as his mental calculations were correct - and they always were when they came to his deals - even after releasing Belle, Jefferson still technically owed him a favour. Normally, releasing Belle would have nullified pretty much anything that was ever owed to him, but he knew that no one else in Storybrooke that could come close to opening a portal like he needed and Jefferson, from what he had heard about him after the Dark Curse had broken, would likely not be interested in lending his particular skillset to anyone.

The mansion was beautiful, Rumple had to give Regina that. She'd set Jefferson up very well in her little town when she'd first brought them all there. His own house was nice, no doubt, but even it wasn't as grand as this one. Granted, his home was much more to his taste and it had been one convenience that his former student had allotted to him.

_I want comfort._

Rumple smiled in amusement at the thought as he wrapped his knuckles against the door. He'd be polite. There was no dropping in as he'd once done during their more permanent acquaintance. There was a long silence that had him rethinking polite protocol, though, and he was about the knock harder when the large door swung open to reveal a little girl that he recognized from the town. She stared up at him with dark eyes and he blinked back in return, an old smile that he had learned to hide behind in this place returning to his features. "Hello, dear. You must be Grace. Is your father here?"

Grace nodded numbly and Rumple wondered if she had an inkling as to who he was. If nothing else, she likely knew him as Mr Gold and that, apparently, was enough to strike some level of fear into most children in Storybrooke. Some things never changed, no matter the location of the people.

"Papa!" she called, turning and leaving the door open as she called again up the stairs. "Papa!"

"Coming, Grace," Jefferson's voice made it down and his steps followed it. He wound his way to the first floor, eyes widening at his guest. "No. Go away."

Rumple feigned offense. "How rude. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Jefferson glared at him, but his expression eased as he put one hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Grace, sweetie, why don't you go upstairs and play? I'll be back up to finish that tea party as soon as I finish talking to… to Mr Gold."

"Papa…" she said warily.

Rumple saw the building panic in her. Just what had Regina done to these two? "I promise not to tote your father off, dear."

"I won't go anywhere, I promise," Jefferson said quietly and she took his word above Rumple's and took off up the stairs. His old acquaintance turned, listening to the sound of his daughter's retreating footsteps and motioned for the elder man to enter.

Rumplestiltskin did so, shutting the door behind him and his gaze drifted over the foyer. They were obviously waiting for Grace to be out of earshot - a trick that really had never worked well with Bae - and when Jefferson turned back to him his expression had turned suddenly to one of rage. Rumple almost missed the sudden transition and the hatter had him by the coat lapels and pushed up against the wall before he had registered what was happening. "You were supposed to  _kill_  her!"

It took a moment for him to put together exactly what Jefferson was growling about and when he did a short laugh escaped him, cut off only by his attempt not to burn the bridge before he was within a hundred yards of it. "I set a wraith after her. Really, I think that made my point quite nicely."

Jefferson released the Dark One, huffing in frustration. "She should be dead after what she did. What she continued to do."

"Haven't you heard? Regina is reformed," Rumple chirped, a bit of his impish flare making it into the words.

"I don't give a damn whose side she's on."

"Of course you don't. You'd rather stew though you have it all. The house, the little girl that you so adore."

"And two lives bouncing around both of our heads."

"Coming back to Storybrooke again was not Regina's fault this time, or hadn't you heard? The Wicked Witch of the West is in town and she's caused quite the stir."

"I'd heard a rumour she had your dagger."

A smile stretched across Rumple's face. "You shouldn't listen to rumours, Jefferson, old friend."

Finally he mirrored Rumplestiltskin's expression and a smile of his own showed. He was studying the elder man carefully, guardedly, but the smile put him a little more at ease with the end of the conversation, when they finally got there that was. "What do you want?"

"First off? A bit of manners. I seem to remember you being quite a fan of tea."

"Quite a fan of my quiet life, too, but that doesn't seem to matter to any of you people."

Rumple's voice turned serious then. "Jefferson, I will not pull you from your child, that much I swear. I need your knowledge, that is all."

"My knowledge?"

"That's it. You know I'll pay generously for it too."

"I don't need money, Rumplestiltskin," Jefferson murmured.

"Then what's your price?"

"What's your question?"

The smile returned. The Mad Hatter had always been a clever man. "I need to know what goes into opening a rift between this world and ours."

Jefferson blinked at him, leading him back into the enormous kitchen and putting a kettle on the stove. Silence stretched between them as he went through the motions and Rumple waited patiently until he was handed a steaming cup of tea and dark blue eyes looked carefully at him. "We've been over this-"

"I'm not a fool, Jefferson. I know you did it for Regina to get that damned apple that ended up putting my grandson into the hospital in a sleeping curse."

"Henry's your grandson?"

"Welcome to the conversation, Jefferson. Focus."

"Then you found Baelfire." Realizations were piling on faster than Rumplestiltskin would have prefered, but he'd always had a unique friendship-esque relationship with the hatter. "And if he was the kid's dad… Oh hell, I'm sorry."

Rumple took a gulp of his tea to take the moment he needed to push down the emotions. "I know that traveling between worlds is… difficult, to say the least, but reaching through and pulling something from the other side is doable."

"It is," Jefferson said slowly. "What are you looking to pull through?"

Their eyes met and the hatter stiffened at the Dark One's expression. Discretion had always been Rumple's favourite trait in those he dealt with on matters such as these, and Jefferson had always proved himself so. "Not so much a what as a where," he murmured. "A vault in the Enchanted Forest. Can it be done?"

"You'd need a tether to pull it through, of course. A small object you might be able to use my hat for and just pull it through magic without anything physical to catch a hold of it, but a whole vault… Do you have something to link it to this world? Something that was once in it, perhaps?"

"I do."

"Something powerful?"

"I'd say so. Me."

Jefferson's eyes widened. "That'll do it," he acknowledged and the two men settled in for a discussion on how to make the impossible happen. It was just like old times.

* * *

Robin didn't want to think about how long he'd been down there, or even where down there was, to be honest. He remembered Zelena's damn pet attacking him, screaming for Rolland to run, and then he'd woken up here. It was dark and dusty. His lungs felt heavy with whatever was in the air. He could hear movement every now and again, but the witch herself hadn't been back down to see him since their first few  _meetings_. The archer groaned at the thought. He'd thought that Rumplestiltskin's dungeons had been bad, once upon a very long time ago, but it had been nothing next to this. He'd lost count of the injuries he'd sustained and, as his thoughts wandered when he was left swinging by his wrists for hours upon hours in the dark, he didn't want to imagine what the crazy witch had done to a man that was supposed to have been immortal. She'd had nearly a year to take out her insanity on him.

He'd been in and out of consciousness, he thought, though it was hard to tell in the near pitch blackness of the place. He could hear footsteps now, definite, and he squinted against the bright light of a torch that someone carried. He couldn't see the face at first, but he recognized the voice. "Robin?"

"Regina!" he called and both relief and embarrassment washed through him. This was most certainly not the way to make an impression on a lady such as the queen. What sort of thief couldn't pick his own locks?

Regina rushed forward in dark, the flame of the torch nearly blinding him, but there she was, dark eyes more worried than he'd ever expected. He must really have looked a sight after all. "What did she do to you?"

"Oh this? I've had worse," he answered with a forced smile. He could be charming no matter how much blood he'd lost. He could prove that much to her, at least.

The smile faded though, as Regina tipped up on her toes, one hand pressed against the side of his face and her lips met his. He'd thought about this moment, hoped for it much quicker than he would have ever expected to, but something felt impossibly  _wrong_  about it now. It wasn't the pain or the exhaustion, it was something very deep in his chest that made him pull back. "You're not Regina," he managed, not quite sure how he knew as he'd never actually kissed her before - that he could remember - but he just knew.

Regina let out a giggle that most certainly didn't belong to her and her features shifted, revealing her sister instead. "So that's True Love, is it? Rumple always did say it was the most powerful magic in all the realms."

Disgust washed over him and Robin pulled back as much as he could. "You'll never find it," he growled. "No matter what where you look, no matter what you do to me. I won't let you find her heart."

"Oh dear," she cooed and stroked his face, "I've already found where she keeps it. Now it's just a matter of time until one of you gives it up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Rumple helps in the search for Robin while Henry takes a leap of faith in his grandpa.


	8. Chapter 8

With everything set up just so, the location prepared and all of his little dominos in a row and ready to fall at his command - even the memory potions had been started just after his meeting with Jefferson the day before, as he knew  _that_  particular request would be right around the corner - Rumplestiltskin's mind made room for the things he'd been ignoring. Things like the missing status of one of his own rescuers. Belle had asked him - how many days ago had that been? - to help and he'd ducked out of it. It hadn't phased him at the time, the thought that he owed Robin Hood. Very little phased him when reaching his son was the goal.

The fact that they were out looking for him gave Rumple time to work. Zelena would be keeping him in a place that Regina couldn't spy on her, someplace outside of the view of any mirrors or glass and probably even water just to be safe. She would also be keeping the outlaw someplace out of the way, where people didn't venture often, and where no screams could be heard. He suppressed a shudder at the last thought. He thought he remembered Belle saying that they'd combed every nook and cranny of the town, woods, and even the countryside to the line, but they hadn't found any trace. Zelena wouldn't have taken him over the town line, of course, because Rumple was quite sure that she wouldn't dare. The moment she stepped foot over it she lost her powers, and Zelena was nothing without her magic.

"So if I were a deranged psychopath, where would I take him?" Rumplestiltskin muttered to himself as he looked over a map he currently had pinned to the wall of his back office. It detailed Storybrooke nicely, and he stretched his hand, mumbling "not there, nor there, and not that place either," as he looked over it, his magic creating marks through the spots as his mind worked the problem. His dark eyes took in the old map and it was covered with marks over every section until a smile took hold and tugged the corner of his lips upward. They'd looked over everything except for where they couldn't go. He pulled the map down from the wall and was gone in a swirl of magic, landing in the middle of the woods and finding a multitude of weapons immediately pointed at him. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Threatening, aren't I?" he asked as he wiggled the rolled map in front of them.

"Where the hell have you been?" Regina demanded.

"Dealing with some things. Everything's in line now, shall we rescue your… Well, what is he exactly to you, dearie?"

Belle had a hold of Regina but it almost didn't do any good as the elder woman snarled at her grinning former teacher, magic whipping around at him, but nothing ever quite touched him.

Rumple rolled his eyes. "It's only been a day."

"It's been four," Belle corrected, her voice sharper than it usually was with him and he blinked.

"Has it?"

"Do you have something useful or are we just going to sit around discussing the date?" Hook snapped from behind.

Rumplestiltskin unfurled his map. "I've been thinking and looking over everywhere that you said you'd been, Belle," he explained as the map held itself in the air as if it had been pinned there. "And I was able to eliminate a few places. Zelena won't be fool enough to be caught near a reflection again." Regina did smirk at that, at least. Perhaps her vengeance wouldn't come at the worst of times now.

"We've checked the mines," Charming said as he saw where the elder man was going with his map and explanation.

"All of it?"

"Right up to the town line," Emma agreed. "I even stepped over it a little just to make sure."

"Ah! But I doubt that you looked here." The map zoomed in, suddenly changing with the spell that he'd cast over it and became a detailed map of Storybrooke's mining system. The only place that was left untouched by his marks through them was a small portion that caused Regina and Emma to glance at each other.

"But that's cut off," Emma argued. "It collapsed several years back when Henry…"

"It collapsed. Most people wouldn't look because most people couldn't get there," Regina breathed.

"There you go, dearie. Knew you were the brighter of Cora's two."

Regina straightened. "I most certainly am."

"I suppose we're relying you to get us down there?"

"I'd suggest that if you must go, Captain, that  _you_  rely on Regina to get you down there. I can't promise that I won't deliver you in pieces and I am  _so_  trying to be better." He flashed an impish grin. "Shall we go rescue your love?"

The automatic denial died on Regina's lips and she shot him a glare before nodding. "Yes."

"Grand," he chuckled and they were gone in a whirl of magic.

* * *

It had taken a while, but Henry had finally found a little bit of sense between Roland's sobs. Well, not sense in the tradition sense on the word, of course, but it somehow seemed more acceptable than it would have been outside of Storybrooke. Between the _bad monkeys_  and the  _mean green lady_  Henry had decided that there were two options. The first was the one that the teenager from New York City wanted to agree with: Roland had watched  _The Wizard of Oz_  recently, but it was the second one that stirred something deep in his chest. It was the one that made him feel crazy, like everything that he  _knew_  should be true was really a lie that had been spoon fed to him. It was the idea that the stories in the book from Mr Gold's - his grandpa's - shop were real.

That was insane, of course, but Roland was left with him long enough through the day that Henry was able to piece a few things together. His papa was Robin that he had very briefly met, "back home" they'd lived in the woods, and his dad used a bow and arrow. All of that really was enough to start any boy's imagination rolling, but when Roland called the men he spent the first night with his "papa's Merry Men," there was no questioning it.

"So you're saying your dad is Robin Hood?" Henry had managed and the five-year-old had looked at him like he had asked him the dumbest question in the world. He'd then promptly shown him a picture of his papa in the elder boy's book.

That had been day two. Day three had left Henry with the need for action, day four finally driving him to it. Her wanted to go to his grandfather's shop and talk more about the book. Mr Gold had told him that it was his journey, but if he asked just the right questions might get a useful answer out of him. He needed to stretch his legs outside of the inn and diner, and from the way Roland was looking forlornly out the window from his tucked-away place in the booth, so could he.

"Come on," Henry whispered as he grabbed his bag, shoving the book into it. "We don't have long. Ruby' getting Leroy's lunch in the back."

"We're going?" Roland asked, eyes wide. "Regina said to stay here. She's bringing Papa."

"I know, but there's something else going on too, Roland. Maybe we'll find something to help your dad at the pawn shop?"

The little boy wrinkled his nose at the idea, but followed Henry out the back anyway. The door was far enough away that Ruby and Granny wouldn't hear the bell and they'd assumed the boys had gone upstairs.

They nearly sprinted down the street, Henry holding tight to Roland's hand and he felt anticipation building. As they approached the shop they could see the blinds pulled closed and the sign on the front door flipped to  _closed_.

"Mr Gold's not there?" Roland asked

"Not sure. Let's find out." All they had to do was check. If the door was locked, they could come back later. Henry felt a tiny jolt, like static electricity, run through his fingers as he touched the door and he could have sworn that he heard the lock slide open on the other side. Impossible. He must have been imagining it.

The door swung open to reveal an empty shop, early afternoon light filtering in around the closed blinds and creating patterns as it split against various glass pieces. "Mr Gold?" he called, nearly pulled Roland in behind him so that they could close the door behind them. "Belle? Sorry to just drop by, but I need your help on something..."

No one answered. They were alone and the door's lock snapped back in place, loud against the silence. Henry glanced down at Roland who was clinging to his hand like a lifeline. He tightened his grip on him as well and started forward. It was his grandfather's shop, after all.

"Don't touch anything, okay?" Henry warned as he stepped behind the counter and started snooping. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for, but if he could find anything to prove or disprove the crazy book theory, his mind could at least be at ease.

The first time he'd come into the shop and met Belle, things had been mostly organized. They still were, for the most part, in the display part of the shop. When he squatted down behind the cases and opened the drawers there, organized chaos was a very generous description. Papers and what looked like scrolls and books were piled in there, and when he opened one up it looked to be written in a language he certainly didn't recognise.

He stood, risking a glance over at Roland to make sure he was staying out of trouble and found the little boy looking around curiously. Henry ducked into the back office, flipping on the light for a better view as he did. The office was just like the drawers.

Henry poked his way through stuff that looked a lot like junk to him in many ways. If nothing else, his newfound grandpa was a collector of a wide variety of items. He felt a bit like he was on a scavenger hunt without a list of items to be found. Without knowing what he was looking for, he could be in there for ages. He let out a frustrated sligh and took a seat at the work desk.

What looked like a chemistry set took up a good half of it, and still in use from the way the burner was lit beneath a beaker. A liquid bubbled there and when he took whiff if it it smelled strange. Not quite bad, but not like anything he'd ever come across before. Not that he made a habit of sniffing science experiments.

Two small bottles of what might have been the same liquid were lined carefully up, small bits of tape wrapped around them with scrawled handwriting.  _Belle_.  _Henry_. There was also an empty bottle, presumably for the boiling liquid.  _Regina_.

Henry took hold of the bottle marked with his name and a sheet of what looked like very old paper, the same scrawling writing across it. They were notes, scribbled as if someone had put them together so as not to miss a step while doing a multitude of other things. Across the top was written  _Memory Potion_.

"What'd you find?" Roland asked, suddenly at his side.

"Answers, I hope," he murmured and I uncorked the bottle.

"Papa says not to eat or drink anything if you don't know where it's from," the child said sensibly.

"I know where it's from. It's from my grandpa," Henry said firmly and tipped the liquid back against the better judgement of the thirteen-year-old from New York City.

* * *

True to his word, Rumple made Regina pull Hook along, but he took care of the rest. They landed in the mines, deep below and just on the other side of where Regina had kept Maleficent locked away for so long. It was dark and eerily quiet with no signs of life at first. The others seemed hesitant to even speak in it, but Rumplestiltskin flicked his fingers and a ball of light appeared, giving them a clear path through the rubble.

"Won't she see?" Charming asked and Rumple shrugged.

"What does it matter if she does? It's time we end this, don't you agree?"

No one could argue the that, particularly, but their worried expressions did give away their thoughts on a closed in battle with Zelena. A magical battle such as that could bring the whole place down on their heads without too much effort and while Zelena, Rumplestiltskin, and Regina could all spiral away through their magic, unless the latter two remembered to grab onto the rest of them they'd be done for.

Regina stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"Nothing," Emma murmured and Belle agreed.

"No, there was something. This way." Any pause that the sorceress had had moments before was done away with instantly as she all but sprinted down the path. The others raced to keep up with her until she rounded the corner, the still-floating ball of light shining enough to see Robin Hood strung up by his wrists at the end, beaten and bloodied and battered. A small sound left Regina and she moved towards him. "Robin? Can you hear me?"

He was only about half conscious and Rumplestiltskin frowned deeply. He hadn't meant to leave him this long. He had known what that woman was capable of, he just would have thought that she wouldn't have acted quite so quickly on a mere mortal. She was losing control.

"Robin," Regina called again. She ripped a glove off and put her hand to his face. "We've got to get him out of here."

"'m not falling for it… again," he managed, voice slurred by the pain.

"Falling for what?" the queen asked and all walls were down. There was no time to hide behind pretense now. "Robin? Please look at me. I'm sorry."

"See? Knew you were fake. Regina wouldn't apologize…" he chuckled, wincing even as he did.

"I own up to what I've done," she whispered and their eyes met, some sort of recognition there that neither understood.

"Kiss me," he rasped.

Regina blinked at him and all eyes were on them. His voice was raw sounding, but it echoed well enough against the rocks.

"So I know it's you."

She leaned in and their lips touched, hesitant at first, but then it pulled her in and he was kissing her back. A powerful rush left them and the others were pushed physically back by it. She stepped back, blinking widely at him. "I remember."

"I remember too."

"That's lovely. How precious. True Love at last. You can cut him down any time now, Regina."

Belle finally hit him for that one, her hand colliding hard enough with his shoulder that he did feel it. "Ow," he complained, but she glared.

"Be nice."

"I am being nice. That-" he motioned to where the thief was strung up by his wrists- "is going to hurt like hell later. It probably hurts like hell now."

Regina's magic wrapped around Robin's binds and the cuffs snapped open. It was everything she could do to catch him quick enough as his knees gave way, but her magic held him up. "We're going to get you home. Someone's very anxious to see you."

"And I'm very anxious to see you too, little sister," Zelena's voice echoed around them, drawing attention.

Rumple didn't jump as the others did, but he did take a protective step in front of Belle. He hadn't heard her approach, nor had his magic alerted him to it. Surely he hadn't been too caught up in the gushing display that his former student had put on just now. He'd have to deal with that later. It didn't matter. Zelena was there and she was ready for a fight. He was ready too. More ready than she'd ever be able to imagine.

Charming had his sword out, Emma pulled a gun - not her usual one, as that had never been found after Zelena did away with the last one - and Hook had his cutlass ready. Belle was unarmed, he realized in that moment, and he risked a precious moment to cast a spell, coating her in protections.

"True Love makes every person a fool," Zelena hissed, her attack biting out at him directly.

Rumple only barely threw a shield up in time to deflect most of the blow and he still was sent crashing backwards into the wall, his head connecting with it and he slammed down onto the floor of the cave, everything swimming. No, he told himself firmly, he was in control of this. He knew exactly what needed to happen. Zelena only thought she had him in hand. Let her think it. Let her fool herself. Then let her become useful for once in her miserable existence.

"We're willing to make peace with you, Zelena," Charming was saying and Rumplestiltskin resisted the urge to gag as he stood.

"No we're not," he growled and his own attack slammed her back. "You might be, but I most certainly am not."

"Not down here," Emma hissed and the next attack made the ceiling crumble a bit, though the fact that he'd reflected the would-be direct blow could have had something to do with that.

"You're right," Rumple said. "Let's not be foolish."

"Oh, are you afraid, Rumple? Want to take this to a higher ground?" Zelena cooed, but he was suddenly in her face, having flashed from his spot to there in only an instant.

"Yes, actually, I do. And I have just the place for it."

And then they were gone, leaving the others to stare at the place where they'd been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Rumplestiltskin faces Zelena and attempts to pull the Vault of the Dark One into Storybrooke.


	9. Chapter 9

Rumplestiltskin had dragged his very unwilling passenger along with him to an open field just shy of the woods. He'd spent a good part of that morning setting things up after he'd gathered what he needed the day before. Everything was in place and they were alone. Let them think what they would, he didn't give a damn. Those arrogant royals and those they kept near could sputter all day long for what he cared as long as it gave him the time he needed to put an end to all of this.

Zelena swayed, obviously caught off her usual guard and her former teacher didn't give her time to regain her balance before raw power slammed into her, biting and clawing the whole way, picking her wholly off her feet and tossing her like a ragdoll. She hit the dirt hard, rolling on impact and sat up, eyes wide and staring at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need a moment?" The nervous sound she made as she teleported away made him smile a little wider, even though his next attack didn't hit her. It took out a good chunk of land where she had been and she reappeared a few yards to the left, sure signs of being flustered showing. "Don't run, dearie. You're so talented, you're so  _in control_ , then fight me."

Her blue eyes flashed at his words and she met his smile with her own. "I'm not running, Rumple. That's  _your_  forte."

Power met in the middle, ricocheting off of the other and dancing across the field. His words had kept her well enough contained. She thought too highly of herself to let him tease her in such a way, but if she did try to flee - and he was sure it'd come to it, because he had no interested in ending her quickly - she'd find herself full stuck within the barriers he'd set up. She wouldn't be able to sense them until she tried to move through them, and then she'd feel them well enough.

"No dagger, no hostages, whatever shall little Zelena do?" he sing-songed and she found the land beneath her feet exploding. It only missed her by a breath as green smokes surrounded her, depositing her to a different place. "You know what I think, dearie?" He was in her face then, though the moment when he'd flashed out of existence and back in was completely lost to her as one hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air and lifting her into the air. He wasn't a tall man, but his curse gave him strength like other's would never imagine. Sometimes it was nice to be underestimated. It made the game more fun. "I think you're crying for attention. You know what? You've got it." He threw her and a burst of power sent her further than she would have made it otherwise.

She landed only slightly more gracefully this time, managing to roll to her feet quicker and she threw up a hasty block to his next spell, sending it bouncing off just to her right. He snarled, shifting in and out of sight as he let his magic take him where he needed to go. She was trying to strike him now, missing every time and he allowed his curse its fun. It had been a very, very long time since he had toyed with someone quite like this. Quite this directly. He'd rarely indulged it quite this much, even in the Enchanted Forest, but she deserved every moment of fear, every last bite of magic into her skin before he ended her. He would end her, there was no doubt, and she'd make herself useful for once in her life.

* * *

"Where'd they go?" David asked as if anyone in their little group had more knowledge on the subject.

"How the hell should we know?" Regina snapped, glaring at him. She had one of Robin's arms carefully draped around her own shoulder with no care to her own expensive clothing or the blood that was now staining it.

"He's going to kill her," Belle whispered and all eyes turned to her. It made sense, she knew it did. Zelena had murdered Baelfire. Rumple had been hellbent on his revenge and she knew he thought he needed it, but part of her worried for that small part of his soul that she was so certain hadn't been corrupted by the darkness that was his curse. It had grown, she was sure, when he'd sacrificed himself. Now if he killed her in cold blood, if he utterly destroyed her as she knew he wanted to, what would that do to the man beneath the monster?

"I fail to see why this is a problem. Let the Dark One have his fun then," Hook grumbled from his place.

"I'm inclined to agree," Robin murmured, his voice still raspy but he seemed a little better since they'd freed him from his bonds. "If he'll take care of the problem for us-"

"I know," Belle growled out. "I know what needs to be done and I know Rumple is probably the best one to do it, I just…"

"You worry for him."

Belle looked around at David and she hadn't realized that tears were brimming her eyes until they came to focus on him. "Yes."

He offered her a smile, one that held more weight than she was used to seeing there. One that had felt the pain of the fear that accompanied nearly losing someone to the darkness in their own hearts. Though Mary Margaret had most certainly never gone down the paths that Rumple was known for taking - Belle had certainly heard enough about the events surrounding Cora's death to know that - in his own small way, David knew how she was feeling.

"People have to make their choices, Belle. We're not going to always make the right ones and often we don't even know how to. You're just going to have to be there to help him back on the path that you can both travel when he's done."

"What if I lose him?" She hadn't meant to sound so small, but it welled up inside of her and she couldn't push it away. "I can't lose him again."

"Trust me, he's not going anywhere," Regina said from her place. "If I know Rumple - and contrary to what he thinks, I know him pretty well - you're the one price he's not willing to pay. He won't go so dark that he risks losing you."

Belle smiled and Regina cleared her throat. "Now, if we're done with the cryfest, I think we should go give him a hand. I'm not letting him take my sister down without me. Robin-"

"Don't even try to send me off in the opposite direction, love. My hands may not be quite as steady, but I'd wager I can still put an arrow through her."

* * *

Zelena had managed a couple of decent shots at least, clipping him on the right shoulder and leaving it stinging. He didn't bother to heal it. He'd handle that later and for the time being had just let his magic cover it.

She had to know he was toying with her by this point. He could see her looking for an out. It was when she'd tried to teleport and had hit his barriers that he'd been truly entertained. She came crashing back into existence, her escape cut off in a painful manner and a chuckle left him. "Still doing the hurting, Zelena?" he asked airly as she stumbled, trying to pick herself up off the ground.

"If you're going to kill me, then kill me."

He felt it, the subtle change in air. Regina had followed him. He wasn't entirely surprised. He hadn't particularly covered their trail when he brought them here, but the wards were keep them out as much as they were keeping Zelena in. Regina might make a dent in them, but it was time to end this anyway. He did need her mostly alive when the vault was pulled over and there was no point wasting energy on toying with her.

"I don't think you have it in you, Rumple. Not really. Not that she's here now. Your precious Belle."

Rumplestiltskin chuckled. "Don't worry. She knows how I am. She knows what I am."

Despite the blood dripping down her pretty face and the dirt and grass smeared across her pretty clothes, Zelena still wore that condescending smirk. It was all she had. Power gathered around him as he began the silent spell in the back of his mind, remembering the details of what Jefferson had told him. He was willing to snap the worlds in half if it brought him his boy back, he'd just prefer not to if he could help it. That Belle might have a hard time forgiving him for.

"I'm not here to kill you, Zelena. I'm here to teach you one final lesson. One that you seemed to have missed the first go-around."

"And what is that?"

The winds picked up and he could hear Belle screaming his name from outside his shields. She could see him, but she couldn't get in to him. If everything worked out and those that were meant to came out alive from this, he was going to have to do a hell of a lot of explaining to her. She might have known who and what he was, she even loved him despite of it, but that didn't mean she approved of his darkness. For this spell, he was digging deep into his curse's power reserves.

"All magic comes with a price," Rumplestiltskin chirped, his voice pitching upward and one hand dancing in the air.

"That's nothing new, Rumple."

"Of course it's not, dearie. It's simply a lesson that you never seemed to learn."

Her smile faltered as he reached out, palms downward, and the ground beneath them shook. Her eyes grew wider as realization worked its way into her mind. Fear. There was fear there. Good. Perhaps she'd finally realized that she'd crossed the wrong person.

A harsh jolt of the ground nearly sent the witch tumbling and she turned wide eyes on him. "What are you doing?"

"Just as I said: teaching you a lesson. What have I always told you, Zelena? There's a price to  _everything_. A price to magic, to actions, to  _words left unsaid_. My son is gone because of you, and you're going to help me bring him back."

Zelena screamed as the ground split, but neither of them fell, held up by the utter dark magic that was spewing from the earth. This land had never known anything quite like it, Rumple imagined. The vault was close. He could feel its coming. Feel it in a way that he could have never imagined before. It worked its way inside his veins and tugged at his soul. It was his curse, he knew, but it was there: dark and dangerous and oh-so deadly.

"The others won't let you get away with this!" she screamed, desperation filling her voice. "You'll rip the worlds apart!"

"I don't care." And in that moment, he truly didn't. He'd burn it all to the ground for a glimpse of Bae and he'd let it all come crashing down with him if he couldn't keep him. He'd spent the last three hundred years searching for him. Zelena had asked if it was worth it and he stood by his response: Every bit of it.

"You didn't tell them, did you?"

A terrible, crazed smile pulled at him and he could feel his dark soul crying for her blood even as his dagger flickered into his hand, using himself as the tether he needed to pull the Dark One's Vault fully into the Land Without Magic. It would have taken both of them off their feet had the magic not been holding them up, but she couldn't move as he stepped closer to her, the Kris Dagger in his hand. His, not hers. A sense of power rushed over him and he put it to her throat. "How does it feel?" he whispered into her ear.

"I didn't know the price," she whimpered.

" _Oops_."

If the others were calling out to him, he couldn't hear over the roar and rush of the magic. He plunged the knife deep into her chest and felt the darkness flowing around them, threatening to drag them both under. "A soul for a soul. Time to pay the price now, dearie." He ripped it out, watching as she crumbled to the ground, blood spilling out from the open wound against her black dress. Tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes and she looked a sight with her hair loose around her.

Rumplestiltskin took a step back, focused entirely on the spell now. The vault was there. That was the most difficult part, but he hadn't counted on it draining him quite this badly. He stumbled, listing slightly to the right and a flicker of a thought crossed his mind that his ankle had given way, but he pushed out out immediately. He couldn't lose concentration. He couldn't let go.

Powerful winds had lifted Zelena's body up so that she was suspended and he could see her eyes beginning to roll back. She'd lost too much blood too fast to have fight left in her and a circle opened up at her feet, the ancient symbol burning in the middle like it'd been lit on fire. Dark liquid began to bubble up the would-be opening to the vault, almost as if it had a life of its own and Rumple watched with curiosity. The spell was complete. It was time for payment. Take her. Drag the damn witch to hell, for all he cared, as long as the vault returned his Baelfire to him.

The liquid darkness pooled there at her dangling feet for a moment, bubbling and gathering. It took only a moment though before it started to reach upward, nipping at her boots and finally grabbing onto one ankle. She wasn't cognizant enough any longer to be afraid and for that Rumple felt a pang of remorse. He had wanted her to spend her final moments locked in fear, unable to pull away, just as she'd kept him locked away from those he loved. Just as she'd stood chuckling over him as the dirt was thrown over his son's casket and he'd felt every bit of it hit like a punch to the gut. She'd felt glee in his misery and he'd hoped to return it now.

Ah well. They say you can't have everything.

It pulled her down, slowly, carefully, like a prize it didn't want to eat up too quick. He wanted to rush it. Get on with it. Exchange them. A soul for a soul. That's what it had said. This wasn't a gift. This was a price. Hurry on with it. He gripped the dagger in his hand, her blood coating the blade, and silently demanded what he was sure the vault now owed him.

Though in reality it probably took less than two minutes for the vault to drag her down into its depths, the darkness pulling her in, it felt like an eternity. Finally, her head tilted back as if she had hope for air, it too finally went under and the darkness bubbled dangerously. Brown eyes widened and their owner took an unsteady step forward, feeling his limbs shaking with exhaustion after the spell.

There was no warning to the burst. Not even his magic, closely tied to the vault as it was, could have warned him. Rumplestiltskin slammed back and shattered through his own shield, landing hard on the other side of it. His head bounced off the ground and he saw stars, everything pulsing in and out dangerously. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision and the ground seemed to sway under him even though he was laid flat against it. He flexed his fingers, arm stretched out and back, and found them empty. His dagger.

"Rumple!" Belle's scream met him and he was struggling to sit up. The dagger didn't matter, he reminded himself. Bae. Bae mattered. "Rumple, are you okay?"

"Bae," he gasped out, trying to sit up and finding that he couldn't. Everything shifted again and he felt his stomach roll. Two in-the-face explosions within a few days was probably not a good way to treat his poor head.

"Rumple, it's me," Belle urged and he could feel her hands pushing his shoulders down. One came up to the side of his face, checking there, and he blinked his eyes open. She was crying. His beautiful Belle was crying over him. He reached a trembling hand up, thumbing away at the tears.

"Don't," he managed, the word coming out as a breath.

"What were you doing, Rumple?" she whispered.

The question focused him and he was up. She was startled enough to let him do it too, but he never made it to his feet. The world spun and his knees were as far as he could go, but it gave him a view of the vault and the swirling, liquid darkness that had swallowed her up. The exchange should have begun by now. "Bae!" he called, but found only the field and the vault flat against the ground.

"He thought that he could switch them," Regina murmured the explanation, her voice cracking laced with pain. My, hadn't they come far. She turned and he did away with that thought at the look she shot him. "What the hell could have possibly possessed you to-?"

"Desperation makes for some of the most potent magic," Rumplestiltskin managed numbly. "I had to try."

"You could have torn both the worlds apart."

"I know," he whispered, staring at the empty field. The vault lay dormant after its feast. Utterly silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Henry regains his memories and a family is finally reunited.


	10. Chapter 10

Silence hung heavy in the air as Rumplestiltskin remained on his knees staring at the open field in which he'd meant to use. Zelena was gone, but he didn't feel the surge of relief he'd expected in the deed. His revenge was strangely hollow without the second half of his plan coming to fruition.

Belle hadn't moved from his side. There was no judgement from her, no demands to know exactly what he'd been planning and if he'd considered the repercussions. She sat there with him in the dirt, one hand gripping at his torn coat sleeve. There would be a discussion later, certainly, but she knew how deep the pain was setting now. He'd just lost his son all over again.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

Couldn't Charming let it rest for more than a minute? Rumple was ready to shred him with a few sharp words when he felt a frighteningly familiar  _tug_  and he stilled instantly. The blond man stood hesitantly, the blood covered dagger held loosely in his hand, almost as if he didn't know quite what to do with it.  _Give him time_ , the Dark One thought,  _they all figure out how to use power._

"Here," he said instead, flipping it over so that he could hand the hilt to his sometimes ally, sometimes enemy. "You were right... Before. Both of you."

Rumple risked a glance at Belle who was smiling through her own tears before he took the weapon. He felt the exchange run through his body, but it offered no real comfort, even as it disappeared to a better hiding place in a puff of smoke.

"Hey, Gold?" Emma called from a few feet away. "Is it supposed to be doing that?"

He tried to sit up a little straighter on his knees, feeling the movement in every muscle. She was pointing out towards the vault where winds had begun to stir again and he could see the bubbling of the darkness again. The vault wasn't done.

"What the bloody hell is that thing doing?" Hook demanded.

No one found it in themselves to answer him as they watched, fascinated even though they'd seen what a burst if that power could do to someone. The liquid bubbled up, building and then folding in on itself just to build a little more. Slowly it started to take shape, forming into a silhouette first and then melting away from it, revealing a face that each person standing there could recognise.

"Neal!" Emma screamed, darting forward. She reached him just as he blinked his eyes open and his knees gave way. She sank to the ground with him.

"Emma?" he rasped. "What... The witch. My dad has to tell you-"

"He did. We're safe. We're all safe."

"She's gone? Henry's safe?"

"Yeah. Your dad... I don't know what he did."

Bae followed his blonde love's gaze to where is papa still sat staring, not quite ready to accept that he'd done it yet. Their eyes met across the opening and Rumplestiltskin felt his chest tighten as his son looked at him. "Papa?"

He was on his feet then, exhaustion and pain ignored. He could deal with it some other time. Sometime in which he hadn't just retrieved his son back from certain death.

Baelfire had made it to his feet by the time Rumple reached him and wrapped his arms around him without hesitation, pulling him close. His papa returned the embrace with more strength than he'd thought he had. He could feel the sob welling up in him and he did nothing to push it down. He just clung hard to his boy, as if releasing him would risk losing him again.

When they did finally part, Bae's face was wet with tears that matched his father's and he took hold of the elder man's hand. "You didn't let go," he whispered.

"No," he choked out. "I couldn't bear to."

Emma was picking herself up from the ground now and the others were inching closer, not quite sure how to react. Rumple could feel all eyes in them, and obviously Bae could too, because he cleared his throat and offered one of his lopsided grins. "So, how'd you break the laws of magic, Pop? Should we expect the worlds to open us up and swallow us?"

His voice was light, but Rumple could feel the anxiety hanging around them. "The same way you did son," he answered after a moment. "You weren't dead, just... lost."

"This is not me complaining or anything, but I was there, Gold. He died in my arms, remember?"

Rumple felt a small smile quirk the corner of his lips. "Emma Swan," he tutted. "Never willing to accept what you can't see in front of your nose. I don't envy your task, Regina, if you'd still planned to teach her magic."

Regina returned the smirk. "You'd probably just throw her off a bridge or something."

"His soul left his body, yes, but it did not move on, as would be expected in death. It was exchanged for mine in the vault. All it needed was another soul to take its place and there we have it. I thought Zelena's would do nicely."

"So you've damned her for eternity in that pit?" Charming managed and Rumple snorted.

"You're going to worry yourself over  _her_  soul? Really, dearie?"

"Neal had a point about the repercussions."

Bae reached a hand out for her shoulder. "Emma, if there's one thing Papa knows it's how to-"

"He's the one going on and on about prices," she cut him off. "I just..."

"Want to make sure your family is safe," Rumple finished for her softly and earned a surprised look for his efforts. "I know. And they are. Zelena paid the price for what she did by being the one to swap places with him, and I've taken care of the rest."

"How?" Charming asked.

"In the way it needed to be taken care of. That is all you need to know."

"Will that thing just... Stay?" Robin asked from where he was still leaning partially against Regina. Rumple really didn't know why his former student hadn't sent him back into town.

"The vault will fade. I pulled it through rather quickly, so to push it back out in the same fashion would leave a gaping hole between the worlds. Yes, that is as dangerous as it sounds, so it's best to let it fade back slowly."

"Nothing's going to come crawling out of it, though, right?" Hook asked hesitantly, shooting an uneasy look at the closed vault.

Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes. "Why don't you leave the more complicated matters to minds better suited for the task?"

"That's not a no..."

"Killian," Bae murmured and the brewing battle between his father and his old friend simmered a bit.

"Well, if everything's... in hand... we should head back in. Robin needs medical attention and there will be a few people glad to know that we have one less problem to worry about," Charming said and a general consensus runs swept through.

"Hey, Gold, about that potion..." Emma began awkwardly.

"Ready for him," Rumple said with a smirk. "In case you changed your mind."

"Of course it is," Emma grumbled without any real malice as she shook her head.

He offered her a knowing smile before taking a step forward. The world pulsed around him and his sight tunnel visioned. "Rumple?" he heard Belle call and hands tightened around his arms as his knees gave way beneath him.

"Papa, can you hear me?" Bae's voice drifted through the incoming fog.

"Yeah," he just managed before everything went black.

* * *

Rumplestiltskin had always been full of surprises, but Baelfire wouldn't have been able to predict this particular one if he'd had his father's gift of Sight. The last thing he'd known was that he had been half pulled into Emma's lap, trying to gasp out what he'd been sure were his last words - his papa had needed to know how much he loved him in the end - to the man he'd spent more years running from than not. Now, though, he was standing on a circle that seemed somewhat familiar. It was like out of a dream and his memories came slowly back to him even as his father had pulled him into a hug and proved that it was very, very real.

He caught him as he fell, feeling surprisingly more steady on his own legs than he should have for having been dead - or whatever his papa wanted to call it - for what must have been a length of time. Rumplestiltskin was entirely limp in his arms, having managed only a brief response before passing out entirely. Bae eased him to the ground, realizing for the first time just how thin his father looked, and there were traces of burns across his face that hadn't been there before. They looked mostly healed, but the shadows beneath his eyes and the way his skin seemed almost stretched over his sharp cheekbones was most certainly something he'd been covering when his son had first seen him here.

Belle was kneeling on Rumple's other side and her eyes met Bae's briefly. "Zelena - the witch - had him captive. She had his dagger when we all arrived here," she explained quickly, her hands going to his face.

"She did this to him?"

"I don't know what all she did to him," Belle murmured hesitantly. "You know your papa. He's not the most forthcoming…"

"I know," Bae answered softly.

Her voice was quiet as she continued, as if she knew the words were something that he'd prefer the whole town - or anyone outside of immediate family - not to hear. "He hasn't been sleeping. Every time he does actually drift off, he has terrible nightmares from it, but he won't say what they are. At least I know now what he's been so focused on the last few days."

Regina had come closer now, kneeling down to take a look at her former mentor who hadn't budged an inch. "Hell, Rumple," she muttered as her magic looked for the source of the sudden collapse.

"He said he'd taken care of the rest. What does that mean?" Bae prompted and the sorceress frowned.

"It means that he's an idiot," she grumbled after a moment as she stood. "He'll be fine. He's just exhausted."

Bae couldn't quite bring himself to feel relieved until fingers tightened in his own and eyes the same colour as his blinked open very slowly. "What happened?" Rumplestiltskin rasped.

"You fell over," the younger man joked, squeezing his father's hand.

Rumple continued to blink, trying to clear his vision. He reached a trembling hand up, fingers against the younger man's face. "Bae…? It wasn't a dream?"

"No, not a dream, Pop. I get the impression you did something crazy, but you did it."

A smile tugged at his lips and he pulled a shaky breath in. It took a moment for him to realize that he, Bae, and Belle were not alone, but when he did his grip tightened. "Help me up?"

"I'm not sure-"

"Bae. Please, son."

He didn't like it, and from the look Belle was giving she didn't either, but carefully he repositioned himself to help his father slowly to his feet. The elder man swayed dangerously, but Bae moved to drape one arm around his shoulders. "Compromise," he murmured lowly and received no argument for it.

"Where are we anyway?" Hook asked.

"On the far end of the treeline, just shy of the townline out here," Regina answered and she had a firm grip on a very woozy looking Robin again. "Don't worry, I can get us back quick enough."

The next few minutes were a blur of magic sweeping them down into the town, Emma assuring Regina that she'd bring Roland over to the hospital to see his father as soon as she picked both of the boys up from Granny's, and Charming excusing himself to check on his pregnant wife. Hook seemed to not know quite what to do with himself and had finally found some excuse to duck away with a promise that he and Bae would speak soon and that it was good to have him back.

"So, when am I going to get to see Henry?" Bae asked.

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "Gold, that potion… How quickly will it work?"

"Immediately. I had a batch brewing for Regina next, but apparently True Love's first kiss took care of that," he answered with a wave of his hand. He was still leaning heavily against Bae and looked ready to topple if his son were to release him. Belle was standing to his other side, ready to catch him if he tried to stand on his own and failed. "Henry's is ready and waiting for him."

"I'll bring him over to your shop then, or you can bring it over to the diner if you're not going to fall over in the process."

"I'm quite capable of-"

"Mom!"

They turned, Henry's voice breaking through his grandfather's irritable statement and the teen's eyes widened. "Dad."

Bae felt his father shift carefully, his stance wide but steadier than he'd expected. "Go," he murmured and the younger man couldn't find it in him to say no.

Recognition shined in Henry's eyes and his father met him halfway, pulling him up into his arms and off his feet, crushing him in a full hug that might not have ended if the kid hadn't gotten so damn big. Bae put him down, but Henry hadn't let him go yet, simply changing his grip to around his middle and he buried his face into his shirt. "You're okay," he managed. "But we went to your funeral. I didn't… I didn't remember. Dad, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Bae promised, kissing the top of his son's head. "I missed you, buddy."

"Missed you too… Or I would have, if I didn't have fake memories. I missed you through them, though, I think."

Bae swallowed hard and kept one arm wrapped around the teen as he turned them around and Henry beamed as Rumplestiltskin. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

"As did you, apparently," the boy's grandfather said slowly and when Emma shot him a questioning look he raised his hands. "I didn't give the boy the potion."

"I found it," Henry said. "It had my name on it."

"So obviously you drank it," Emma sighed, glaring at Bae. "He's totally your kid."

"Comes from a hellava line of curious," he agreed with a laugh.

"For future reference, Henry, just because your name is on it does not mean that you should always down the whole bottle," Rumple chuckled. "Good to have you back, lad."

Henry broke his hold on his father only to wrap his arms around his grandpa's middle, nearly throwing the man off his precarious balance. Rumplestiltskin managed to keep it though, and returned the embrace. "Very good to have you back."

"Glad you're not dead too, now that I remember that."

"Henry?"

Bae risked a glance over at Emma, her voice proving that she already knew something was coming. He knew she'd kept it from him, and that when he'd… well, whatever he'd done, she had been ready to take him back to New York and leave Storybrooke behind after this was all over. Her question to his father about the potion - memory potion, he assumed now - meant that she'd changed her mind for some reason, and he didn't dare hope it was him, though that thought was very persistent.

"You guys find Robin?" Henry asked and Emma nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Regina's with him."

"Great. Roland's in the shop. I'll get him and then… I'd like to see my mom."

* * *

He was pissed. There was no getting around that. She'd promised him that the lying was done, and she'd gone out of her way to keep something from him again. A rather large something, actually. He hadn't felt this betrayed since he found out that Regina had kept Storybrooke's secret from him his whole life. Somehow, with Emma keeping his dad and his grandparents from him in a similar fashion and making him feel absolutely insane because of it, a couple of weeks hit just as hard as the years.

Roland was ecstatic to hear that his father was back and okay, but Henry remained silent in the passenger seat of Emma's bug even as the little boy rattled on. His dad had gone back with Belle and his grandpa, promising to be over there as soon as he was sure that his own father wasn't going to fall over.

"We should have a welcome back party for Dad," Henry said, trying to make himself break the silence. "Like a… Glad You're not Dead kind of party."

"Like the card you made for Mary Margaret that said that the class was glad she didn't kill Katherine?"

Henry snorted a laugh. "Yeah, like that."

They pulled around to the hospital and into the spot. "Listen kid-"

"I know. I just… need time. You promised, Mom."

"I didn't know until right before we came here."

"Yeah, but how long was that potion sitting there with my name on it?" He waited, knowing that look better than any. "Thought so."

"Henry…."

"I'll take Roland in." He didn't let her argue as he pulled the seat up and the kid piled out of the back and raced into the front doors. Emma didn't follow him immediately and he had to give her credit there. He just needed to have time to process. And time to see the family that he didn't realize that he had.

A nurse pointed them to the bag and groused at Henry to keep a firm hold on a nearly bouncing Roland as they moved down the hall. They rounded the corner and the boy pulled free as soon as he saw his papa through the open door. "Papa! Papa!" he called, nearly piling into the hospital bed.

Regina was sitting on the other side and she'd been holding his hand, a look on her face that Henry was sure he'd never seen there, but it was a good expression. Her adopted son hesitated at the doorway, mind reeling on what to say. She'd said her goodbyes to him and he'd had to leave. It had hurt, driving away, and he remembered that now. It had hurt until his memories faded away like the town in the rearview mirror.

She looked up, startled by his presence. "Oh. Henry. Thank you for bringing Roland in."

The teen felt a bit of a smile grabbing at the edges of his lips. "No problem, Mom," he said with a shrug as he entered. "How're you feeling, Robin?"

The thief of Sherwood Forest gave him a grin. "Much better now."

One glance back at Regina said that she hadn't missed the name he'd called her and she stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn't stop the grin as he rounded the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She returned it hesitantly and he could feel her start to shake. Guilt tugged at him, even though he knew they'd had no choice. Neither of them had had a choice. "I'm sorry I didn't know you before."

Regina sniffed and kissed the top of his head. "It's okay, Henry. That was a pretty strong memory spell you were under."

"You're good at what you do."

She huffed out a laugh at this and squeezed harder. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Storybrooke welcomes back Bae and Blue and Rumple have a chat about repercussions.


	11. Chapter 11

He felt a bit like he'd been run over by a truck. Or he imagined this was what being run over by a truck felt like anyway. Everything ached by the time they'd parted ways with Henry - something that he was sure Bae didn't want to do quite so quickly, but he couldn't bring himself to argue too much if it meant his son was going home with him - and he was certain he'd never been more exhausted in all of his life. Belle and Bae had helped him into the house and they'd been there only a precious few minutes when Belle handed his son her cell phone saying that Emma needed to talk to him.

That had been several hours ago. Somewhere in between - he wasn't quite sure in the fog of exhaustion - he'd been roped into going to Granny's Diner for an impromptu Welcome Home party that Henry had conned his guilt-ridden mother into throwing. Well, Henry was calling it a We're Glad You're not Dead Party, but the gist was the same. There would be people. Lots of people. People that were not overly fond of him and would likely take his less than usual energy levels as the go-ahead to lay into him about everything he'd ever done wrong to them - if he'd actually done something against them or not.

But this was for Bae. That was the only reason he was willing to go.

Rumplestiltskin had found his cane in his closet of his home, leaned up against the wall like an old friend waiting to be greeted. His right ankle ached terribly with each step, like the spell he'd cast around it that was supposed to fix it was slowly unraveling in the wake of events. Well, if that was the only lasting effect of ripping apart the worlds, ending the existence of a particularly nasty witch that had threatened his family, and bringing his son home, he thought he could handle that.

"Don't you look dashing?" Belle said from the bedroom door.

"Hardly. You've just seen me so bedraggled the last weeks that we've all been in Storybrooke you hardly remember how well I keep myself usually."

She smiled at the statement, clearly happy to see his wit undeterred by events. She moved to stand in front of him, between he and the length mirror he'd been straightening his tie in, and her steadier hands coaxed the knot into submission for him. They then moved to fiddle with his lapels, straighten the square poking out of his pocket, and he caught her hand before it went to her hair. He couldn't risk it.  _She_  had done that too many times and the last thing that he needed was an utter breakdown on the night they were welcoming his son back. Belle would feel like it was her fault and he wouldn't have that. He offered her a smile to cover and kissed her hand.

She accepted it with a look that said she didn't miss the glimpse of hesitation there and tipped up on her toes to press a kiss to his smooth cheek. "I love you."

"And I you," he swore in return and he'd rarely meant something as much as he did when he professed his love to her.

"You and I need to talk eventually, Rumple," she said seriously, her face cupping the side of his face and he couldn't help but to lean into it.

"About what, sweetheart?"

"You know what."

He pulled in a deep breath. "I don't suppose you'll simply let it all pass by? I shouldn't wish to dwell on it."

"I know, but you need to talk about it, Rumple. You're not sleeping. I'm worried."

"I wasn't sleeping because I was focused on getting Bae home."

"I don't believe that was ever all of it."

He bit his tongue before a sharp retort could leave it and thought for the countless times since he'd admitted that he loved her that Belle deserved better than him. "You always did see through the masks," he whispered instead and she smiled.

"I do." Belle took his hand in her own, pulling him towards the door. "Now come on. Your son's home. We don't want to be late."

Granny's Diner was, much like Storybrooke on the whole, bigger than it appeared. For the short time that Bae had spent in the town he seemed to have made plenty of friends, and had no trouble making more at every turn. He was honest and kind, so very  _good_  in every sense of the word and sometimes Rumplestiltskin's mind betrayed him with doubts on how he could have ever hoped to have been part of his son's life at all. He would taint it, burying it under the grime and the corruption that was his own existence, and finally smothering the light beneath the darkness that was his soul. No matter how much love he felt, he'd let Bae go.

Once. Never again. He would never let him go again. At least this time he'd proven it.

Rumple pulled in a deep breath, steadying himself with the cane that most would think was for show and he felt Belle tighten her hold on him, her arm looped through his. People were already mulling about the diner, toasting and laughing and joking with each other. The Charmings were there - Snow looking very much like she might have the baby at any time - and even Regina with a bandaged Robin. Perhaps the wounds had been more for show than for actual damage then. A small, quiet part of him hoped it was true for the thief's sake.

The dwarves were singing already and Ruby was defending herself valiantly against Doctor Whale's mostly harmless flirtations. At one booth Bae was standing with a drink in hand, grinning nearly ear to ear as he discussed something with that damned pirate that had once stolen his mother away. Rumple pushed down the bubbling urge to rip Hook apart. Bae liked him, for some reason or the other, and that should be enough. He could live, if only for that. That was really his  _only_  salvation.

Baelfire turned around, somehow hearing the bell's chime over the chatter and his grin only broadened. "Papa."

Three hundred years. Rumplestiltskin had spent three hundred years searching for his Bae. When he'd fallen through the hole, he'd been fifteen, and barely that, but now he stood a grown man with mistakes and triumphs all under his belt. He stood before him with a son of his own. When he'd first come to Storybrooke, Rumple had failed, as he so often did. He'd been so caught up in the whole Lacey fiasco that he'd barely paid attention to his boy. He'd thought he had all the time in the worlds to make it right. Then Bae had slipped from him, and when he had finally gotten back again, Rumple had slipped from him, trying so damn hard to do the right thing just once. Then Bae had given his life. For him. Rumple was no fool, though he often gave himself to foolish thoughts. Bae had wanted a chance to reach his family, but with the way his eyes lit up when he walked in, he hoped that he was a part of that. He'd hoped that when he'd sought for a way to bring his papa back that he'd wanted his father to call family along with the woman he loved and his son.

Three hundred years of looking, now he didn't know what to say since he'd found him. Story of his life.

"Quite a gathering," he managed and Bae shrugged.

"Yeah. Pretty sure that Granny put out something about free drinks and everyone came running. Killian and I have a bet going on how long it takes Leroy to get up on that table."

"I said the counter, actually," Hook put in.

"Granny'd never let him live it down," Belle laughed, arm tightening around Rumple's.

"But it'd be funny to watch," Bae chuckled and the grin faded into an affectionate smile. "Glad you could make it, Pop."

"I certainly wasn't going to miss it," he answered with a smile of his own.

"Wouldn't be here without you," his son answered in response and their eyes met, briefly, and Rumple felt the weight of the words crushing in on him. Forgiveness. It was attainable. After all these years. He wasn't sure what to do with that.

"I love you son," he said, pushing back the idea of listening ears and wandering gazes. "I'd do anything for you, no matter the cost."

"I know, Papa," Bae answered him and somewhere in the background Hook seemed to find a pretty skirt to chase and Belle touched his arm to let him know she'd be right back as she ducked off to speak to Ruby.

"I want to do this right, Bae," his father admitted softly. "I'm not sure that I know how that goes, but I'd like to try. You're not a boy anymore and I shouldn't want to treat you as such, but…. Well, I wasn't sure…"

"You know," Bae said slowly, "when you first took on your curse, you suddenly had an answer for everything. It's one of the first things I noticed. Something went wrong or anything happened even in my vicinity,  _bam_. There you were. Nothing stopped you. Nothing scared you. It was so… weird, after everything." He paused, mulling over his own words, but thankfully not too long. "What I meant to say is: I haven't heard you stumble over your own words in a long time, Papa."

"That almost sounds like a compliment, Bae," his father chuckled.

"It kind of is. I always thought you were a good man before the curse."

"And now?"

Bae shrugged. "I'm willing to find out. What were you trying to ask, anyway?"

"Oh." Rumplestiltskin hadn't felt this flustered in a while. The last thing he wanted to do was cling too hard. He knew that he did it. He was so afraid of losing those he loved that he held on with everything he had until he forced them away. Self-fulfilling prophecy is what Belle called it. Perhaps she was right. "If you wanted, and I'm sure you've already lined something up, but I just wanted you to know that you always have a place Bae… You always have a place in my home, should you want it."

Baelfire stared at him for a moment, dark eyes meeting dark. "I was planning to crash here, I guess," he said hesitantly.

"Of course."

"But if you're offering, and if I won't be in the way…"

"You're never in the way, son."

The grin that flashed across his features was so very Bae and Rumple had to keep himself from wrapping his arms around his son's neck and holding on. Instead, he offered a smile.

His exhausted magic only flickered the briest of warnings before a voice sounded behind him, the owner clearing her throat as a way of entering the private conversation. "Rumplestiltskin, if I might have a word?"

"Rather busy at the moment, Blue," he snapped, all pretense of politeness that he'd meant to keep plastered across his face washing away in an instant.

"This will only take a moment, I assure you."

He opened his mouth to tell her that it would only take a moment for her to turn around and take herself elsewhere when his son rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, Papa," Bae promised lowly.

Rumplestiltskin sighed. Well, perhaps if he received the lecture he'd been expecting early on from the lady of goodness herself he wouldn't have to worry about being accosted the rest of the night. Blue - dressed in her frock and with her hair piled much more like a nun than a fairy - led him to the back hallway and turned so that he was pressed up in a corner. "You have done many reckless things over your numerous years as the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin, but  _this_ -"

"I'm sorry, but to what are you referring?" Rumple answered sharply, forcing his back to straighten and his shoulders to square. He was not a tall man, but he'd carried power with him long enough that he could intimidate most that he came across, including the Blue Fairy. "The part where I rid Storybrooke of the pesky Wicked Witch that brought us all here or the part where I managed to save a good man from a terrible fate that she'd put him into? Oh, and I do believe we're celebrating both tonight. Your thank yous could really use some work there."

"Do you really think you can avoid the consequences of-"

"I know the price, Blue. Don't you try to tell me I don't."

"There is no way that even  _you_  could know the full price of what you've done," she bit out at him.

"I broke no laws of magic. He wasn't dead."

"No, but you did rip apart the worlds."

"Wouldn't have had to if you hadn't given him the damn bean in the first place!" he hissed, feeling his temper rising and his chest tightening with it. Maybe this would be a shorter night than he'd expected.

"So this is my fault?"

"If we want to get technical."

"You….arrogant…. _evil_ …."

"Now, now, dear. Arrogance implies a certain exaggeration to one's skillset. I knew quite well what I was capable of doing and I did it."

"You've brought more evil to this world than a land such of this can handle."

"Don't be so dramatic. It'll adjust, just as it did when magic was brought here. The vault will simply fade away and we'll go about our lives. End of story. I paid what I needed to to bring it over.  _That_  wasn't something I'd risk in a fool's hands."

"And it looks like you're continuing to pay it," the Blue Fairy murmured thoughtfully. "You might want to watch that."

It took him a moment after she'd turned on her heel and returned to the crowd to realize what she was talking about as he lifted his hand to his nose and it came away dotted with blood.

"What'd the bug want?" Regina's voice sounded.

"To preach," he answered roughly and he pulled a clean handkerchief out to wipe away the evidence.

"Shocking." She moved around, leaning against the wall to study him. He knew that's what she was doing, no matter if she were trying to hide it or not. Now, though, she didn't seem to care to hide it. "You're sick."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not." She took a step closer and Rumpel realized that his step back put him with his back against the wall. "My word. You hit the bottom of the well."

There was no question in her meaning. Rumplestiltskin had often gleefully regarded the depths of his power as a bottomless well, impossible to reach even the deepest parts of.

"Will it come back?"

"Of course it'll come back," he snapped. "It will just take time. Magic works differently here."

"I know." Her eyes flickered out to the crowd where Robin was stretched out in a booth with Roland sleeping against him, his leg that had been injured propped up. Henry stood there, chattering away with him about something or the other, his hands waving wildly in the air despite the progressing hour. "The things we do for our families."

A small smile tilted his lips. "The things we do."

* * *

"You weren't going to really take him away for good, were you?"

Emma startled, turning from where she had been staring at what had somehow become a fascinating spot on a menu to where the man she'd once loved stood grinning at her. They hadn't had much of a chance to talk between Gold collapsing and Henry deciding that this get together simply couldn't wait, but it seemed like the man of the hour had sought her out. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. The familiar feeling of emotional self preservation kept creeping up every time she got him back, reminding her that while he was standing there for the moment, something terrible had dragged him away before. One time, she might be able to overlook - even if that first time was him walking away and letting her go to jail - but then it had happened again and again. At some point, their lives would be filled with the fear of him dying or getting sucked through some magical portal or any number of insane possibilities.

"You're over thinking this," Neal's voice cut through her panicked thought process and she realized she still hadn't answered him. The grin had faded, replaced by a more serious look as he joined her in leaning against the counter, watching the crowd.

"Is this the way it's always going to be?" she asked after a moment.

"What? Friends and family gathered in one place, having a blast, and no one trying to kill us? Hope so."

She rolled her eyes. "Way to take death seriously."

That grin returned, hiding any darker thoughts on the matter. He'd always adjusted well to life, but sometimes she wondered if at least some of it weren't an act he put on as his own self preservation. "I'm becoming a regular at it. Someone's got to find some humour in it."

Emma watched his gaze flicker to his father. Gold was leaning heavily on his old cane and listening to Henry who had found him and decided he needed to join in a bit more. "How's your dad holding, anyway?"

"No clue. He's not exactly the most open person in the world and I've barely had a second to sit down and talk with him since... Belle says he hasn't been sleeping. That the witch had him?"

"Yeah, several of us managed to get his dagger away from her a few days ago. Any idea how he lost it to begin with? He's a little protective over that thing."

"It's all really hazy.. But I think I remember he had to make a choice after I opened the vault... That he couldn't hold into me and his dagger at the same time."

"Chance for reconciliation, huh?"

"Guess it's about time. I think I'm staying at his place, at least for a while. What about you? You running back to the big city now that good's triumphed and all that?"

Emma snorted. "I don't know… I'm going to leave it up to Henry. Now that he remembers… I don't know, I just want him to be happy."

"If he wants to stay?"

"Then we stay. It… might be nice."

Neal offered her a lopsided smile. "Might be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: In the next chapter - Rumplestiltskin begins to realize that he can't ignore what has happened to him and trouble begins to brew in Storybrooke when a citizen is found murdered.
> 
> Notes 2: Hey all! Hope you're enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing this! Since I tend to update every day when I can, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will not be updating tomorrow since it's Easter and I'm likely to be tied up. Have a happy Easter!


	12. Chapter 12

He was running, low branches and sharp leaves biting into his skin even as he tried to dodge them. He could get there. He knew he had to, even if he wasn't quite sure where  _there_  was. Everything was hazy, spotted, and absolutely useless when the sound of his name stuck his feet to the earth, momentum and gravity working against him to send him crashing to the ground.

"Did you think you could run?" her silky voice sounded in his ear.

He tried to move but found he couldn't. His limbs felt like they were bound tightly with thick, heavy rope, weighing them down so that they couldn't move at all. He could feel her hands on him, toying with his hair and causing tremors to run through his entire body. He was helpless, like the spinner that had coward in the corner so many, many years ago.

"You can't run from me, Rumple," she purred. "I own you."

The dagger's control slammed into him and he bit back a cry. The woods had disappeared around them and he was on the floor of that damned cage again, curled into himself. Just a shadow of the Dark One. A broken, beaten shadow.

"Stand up," she ordered and he stood. When she motioned to a place his body moved without his command. He couldn't fight it. He didn't know how. She was directly in front of him now, the dagger clutched in one hand and her free one moving to push back his hair and trail down his face. Her fingers made their way to tease the tattered collar of his shirt and then to the buttons of his vest in which she undid one by one, followed by the buttons on his shirt. After a moment she looked up, meeting his eyes. "Are you afraid, Rumple?"

She was toying with him. He knew she was toying with him and her control was absolute. After a moment of silence her expression twisted and a childish sort of anger swept across every inch of her face. "I asked you a question."

"No." It wasn't a complete lie. There were many things that didn't frighten him. Specificity. Amazing how many people overlooked it.

"Really?" she asked softly. "Don't move."

He felt his whole body go rigid, stuck in place. The fear built and he was sure she could see it in his eyes. Her hand moved and he could just barely see it, as he'd been looking at her when she gave the command, and he felt the flat side of his knife press against his side over his ribcage. She pulled it along, sometimes shifting the blade so that it barely nicked him, causing him to wince, until she pulled in to the other side, the sharp edge pressing dangerously close to unprotected skin.

She leaned directly into his ear. "Are you afraid of what I can do to you, Rumple?"

"Yes," he answered her, unable to stop himself.

"Good." The knife bit through flesh, not deeply at first, but when she didn't receive the response she was looking for she applied pressure. A strangled, pained sound escaped as he tried to hold it back. He stopped trying when she pulled down suddenly, leaving a nasty gash in his side and the cry escaped.

"Not nearly afraid enough," she warned him, pulling the dagger free and her fingers dug into the open wound, ripping a pained scream from him.

Rumplestiltskin jerked awake, eyes flying open and his scream filling his living room rather than the cage in Zelena's cellar. He sat there a moment, his own hitched breathing in competition with his heart slamming almost painfully against his ribs and one hand went carefully to his side. The wound had been healed. There was no lingering pain there save for in his mind.

As he tried to quiet himself, reaching for a calm that seemed just out of his grasp, he focused on his surroundings. He was currently sitting half-sprawled across the couch in his living room, a blanket across his legs and his neck beginning to ache from the angle he'd been lying at. They'd come in late and he'd sat down for just a moment. Apparently he must have fallen asleep before he'd managed to stand again and Belle hadn't wanted to risk waking him to coax him to bed. He knew he'd worried her since his return, but the nightmare that he'd just come out of was proof enough why he'd prefer to stay awake. He'd lived it once, he didn't see the point of reliving it every night.

His breathing was beginning to even out now and Rumple leaned forward, elbows braced against his knees and rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He was not a prisoner any more. Zelena was gone and Bae was home. Things could, finally, begin to settle down.

He could hear the slight creak of the stairs that signified someone was coming down them. Even as small as Belle was they made noise, but it was Baelfire he saw when he looked over to the open entrance of the room. He stood in a t-shirt and sleeping pants, that blurry look on his face that spoke of not enough sleep and untimely wakefulness. He squinted into the room for a moment, likely trying to gage if his father were looking his way or not, and Rumple turned fully around. "Hey."

"Hey," Rumplestiltskin whispered back, his voice raspy and still trembling ever so slightly from the aftermath of the nightmare. "Did I wake you?"

"Pretty sure you woke the whole neighborhood," Bae murmured as he padded his way into the room. He rounded the couch, never breaking eye contact as Rumple shifted to follow his movements. "Belle had mentioned that you've been having nightmares."

"Did she?" his papa asked noncommittally. Bae didn't need to know about the terrible things that had happened when he'd thrown his dagger away to try to save him. It had all just rolled downhill from there. Zelena had taken possession of it, had gone through with her plan to take Bae from him, and life had been utter misery for the past year. It really did seem like longer when he thought about it.

"She did." Bae matched his tone and the look he gave him said he wouldn't be swayed so easily. "She said that's why you haven't been sleeping, and that's why she left you on the couch when you drifted off."

When Belle had had a chance to tell him all of this, Rumple had no idea, but he felt a pang of guilt at the idea that that the two most important people in his life were worrying over him. "I'm fine, son," he tried, but his boy was no fool. Bae had always been clever and quick to catch on to others' feelings. He rarely pried into it, but it seemed that he wasn't going to let this go tonight. Or morning, as it seemed to be closer to.

Rumplestiltskin sighed and stood slowly instead of offering to have his son sit. If he wasn't going to be let out of this, he needed something to do with his hands. He couldn't focus entirely on the words lest he end up curled in a corner at the end of it, caught in the throes of one terrible memory or the next. Zelena had wanted to show her power, show her control, and she'd made sure he never forgot just who was in charge in that little cellar.

Bae followed his slow movements into the kitchen and leaned up against the counter as he started rummaging for the coffee grounds in the cabinet. "How much do you remember about what happened in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Most of it, I think. Whatever you did let me keep my memories."

"One less potion to make, I suppose," his father said with a small smile, pouring the grounds into the filter.

"I remember Belle and I going to the vault. We found out that it was Zelena that had set up the candle to bring us there, so Belle wanted to take a step back. Think about it and try to find another way, you know?" Bae gave a humourless laugh. "She thought it was a trap."

"She's clever like that," Rumple agreed. Belle, no matter what she was feeling, had always presented a level-headed approach to situations. It was one of the many things that Rumplestiltskin loved about her.

"I didn't care. Guess I just wasn't thinking about price and all that."

Rumple could feel his son's eyes on him as he poured the water into the top of the coffeemaker, and his expression tightened. There were plenty of  _I told you so_  moments in life, but this was most certainly not one he would have ever reveled in pointing out. No, Bae knew that he'd made a mistake in jumping in without any care for the consequences, but what really hit his father hard was the method that he'd chosen to take. It didn't sound as if they'd looked for anything else. He'd simply found the darkest approach and gone for it. His son, the boy that hadn't even wanted him to use magic to heal cuts and scrapes, had sought out Dark Magic to bring him back.

The coffeemaker made a soft clicking sound as he flipped it on and turned, leaning against the counter opposite of Baelfire. "Sometimes the need to be close to family blinds us," he said softly, almost hesitantly. "I should hope though… that you're quite done dabbling in Dark Magic."

Bae chuckled. "Says the man that decided killing the most powerful dark sorcerer in the lands was the best option to save me from dying in war."

"Well that's just it, Bae. I did it so that you'd never have to touch it." Their eyes met and Rumple felt his usual walls trying to move into place but he stopped them. No, Bae deserved to hear this. He deserved to hear any truths his father could manage. "I live in darkness, son, so that you don't have to."

"I know, Papa," Baelfire murmured after a moment, the weight of the conversation evident between them, "but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm pretty sure Belle isn't either, so… Let us help you."

"I don't want to burden you with-"

"It's not. You're not." He paused, the only sound between them for a moment the coffee spilling into the empty pot. Bae was staring at him then, eyes fixated on his face in a way that made his father feel a bit uncomfortable. "Your nose is bleeding," Bae murmured after several long moments of silence.

Rumple's hand went immediately to his nose and came away with dark blood against his skin, just as it had at the diner earlier. He sniffed, reaching around for a napkin. "It's nothing."

"Bull shit." Bae stepped forward now, not giving the elder man the time to squirm away as his hand came to rest on the side of his face. "And you're burning up. It's  _not_  nothing."

It was as if someone verbalising the symptoms made them just a bit more real and Rumplestiltskin sagged against the counter. He was exhausted. He'd been tired before today, the very nightmares like the one that had woken him had kept him up at odd hours since his return. He'd left Belle sleeping alone more than he hadn't, slipping off to his basement for any sort of distraction that he could find, but his battle with Zelena and pulling the vault through had taken him to his limits. Somehow he'd found the bottom of what he'd thought at one time was a bottomless well of power.

The coffee maker beeped its success and he turned to reach for the cups in the cabinet. "Papa?" Bae called sharply and at first he thought his son must have assumed he was continuing to avoid the conversation. He must have already been on his way down, though, as he felt Bae's hands gripping his shoulders just as it registered that he was tipping. "Easy. Take it easy," Bae's voice sounded in his ears and he was trembling, his whole body rebelling against the commands he gave it. He reached for his magic to cover it and received a rather painful warning for his efforts. His curse kept him alive, and to do that there were times when it would take control of where his magic went. That had been his theory of what it would do if he ever pushed anything, that is, and it seemed that he'd been right.

"Rumple?"

He couldn't quite focus. Bae was still holding him up and while he heard Belle's voice from the kitchen's entrance, he couldn't bring himself out of the fog enough to respond. He tried, but it seemed that her name would never quite make it to his lips. Instead it tumbled around his brain with the command to say it never reaching.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure yet," Bae answered and Rumple could feel him shifting to get a better grip on him. One arm over his shoulder and his son wrapped his own around his waist to hold him up, just like he had when they were leaving the vault and they were moving. "I think he had some sort of nightmare and we were in here talking. Then he just kind of fell."

Baelfire eased his father down on the couch again and Rumplestiltskin felt Belle's small hand against his cheek. "He's burning up. Rumple?"

He had to open his eyes. He wasn't even sure when they'd closed, but he knew he was frightening her. It was a battle to make his body obey, but slowly he forced his eyes open and to focus on her. All sleep had washed away and she was staring at him with those clear, blue eyes and she leaned down and kissed him softly. "Hey," he croaked, finding a breath to speak with.

"Hey," she greeted back. "How're you doing?"

Rumple gave a noncommittal grunt and shifted, trying to take inventory of what did and didn't hurt. He was mostly sure that there were no physical injuries from his earlier escapades, but his body was certainly in a rebellious mode now. He needed them to know he was alright. He needed to be alright.

"Here's the truth, dear: you're not going to be alright," Zelena had said to him once, her fingers buried in his hair and pulling his head back at an awkward angle so that he met her hungry gaze. She could have commanded him to look up at her - her hold on his dagger had made her will frighteningly absolute - but she'd rarely bothered. She'd opted instead for a much more physical approach.

"Rumple?" Belle's voice cut through the memory, dragging him back from it.

"I'm here," he managed.

He watched his son and love exchange a look between them. "Help me get him upstairs?" Belle asked and Rumple tried to protest, but the words never made it out of his throat. He coughed instead, the sound dry and painful, scratching at his throat all the way.

Bae was careful with him and somewhere between the couch and the stairs he must have blacked out because the next thing he knew he was being sat down on the edge of the bed and Belle was in front of him, fingers working the buttons of his vest that was now beyond wrinkled. He had to remind himself that it was her and remained still for her as she worked it open and pulled it from his shoulders. He thought they were speaking lowly, but he only caught every few words with only their worry coming across clearly.

"Papa?"

"'m fine, Bae," he managed, his voice slurred with exhaustion.

"Saying it again and again doesn't make it so," Belle murmured softly and she pressed a kiss to his forehead as she eased him back into the bed. He never had a chance to respond as he felt the world around him sliding away and he slipped beneath the waters to do battle with the demons that haunted his sleep.

* * *

It had been four days. Four days since Rumplestiltskin had ripped a tear into the fabric between worlds and brought that terrible vault over. She remembered the first time she had seen it now. It was amazing how quickly that memory potion worked. In her own dreams it swallowed up hope and gave birth to nightmares, but Belle couldn't worry about her own dreams at the moment. No, she'd been too worried about Rumple to risk shutting her own eyes for more than an hour or two at a time the last few days.

His fever had spiked, leaving him most incoherent when he was actually awake. When he slept he cried out, sometimes for Bae, sometimes for her, and sometimes they were just raw, terrified screams that sent her heart racing. Touching him in those states was, she quickly realized, a terrible idea. He thrashed wildly and it took several minutes of soft words to pull him from it. Often he'd open his eyes without ever truly waking, mumble out something that she rarely understood, before he'd collapse back against the pillows again into a restless sleep.

Baelfire was in and out, though Belle could tell that leaving his father in such a state was becoming more and more difficult with each passing day. Henry had come over only once, but it had been a particularly nasty nightmare and the teen had been rushed out of the room as quickly as they could manage. Uncertainty was thick in the air in the place that they called home.

On the third day Belle had called Dr Whale. Rumple would have hated the idea, she knew, but she couldn't get his fever to come down and she was afraid for him. He agreed with what Regina had said the day before when she'd dropped by: he was exhausted and rest was the best solution for that. They'd been able to coax enough water down his dry throat that the danger of dehydration wasn't too high, but if he stopped being able to keep it down then Whale had told her that the hospital might be a necessary option. He'd been called away from the visit earlier than expected, though, by Mary Margaret's arrival at the hospital. It was not a false alarm this time, from what Belle had heard, and she'd been left to replace the already warm rag against his forehead.

The sun was dropping in the sky, casting streams of light through the half-pulled blinds at the window and she was curled up on her side of the bed. Bae was with Henry who was welcoming his new baby uncle into the world. Rumple had been quiet for the past hour or so, only the occasional moan escaping him, but she would reach out as it started and whisper his name, her fingers touching his and he'd settle back down. It killed her to see him in this way and she knew she should have done something for him before it came to this. She couldn't be sure what that something was, but there had to be some way to avoid the complete breaking that seemed to be happening in his dreams.

Her hand was in his now, fingers intertwined and she'd moved closer than she'd dared in the last few days. She'd tried it only once since he'd collapsed and found that something she'd done had set him off again, but without him coming around it was difficult to say what that was. Now, he seemed to lean into her and she squeezed his hand in her own, slowly opening her eyes. She found brown ones staring sleepily back at her. "Hey," she greeted softly, not sure if he was really awake or not.

"Hey," he answered back, voice raspy and raw sounding, but at least it meant that he was awake.

Belle reached her free hand to his face, and though he flinched he didn't pull away. Relief flooded through her. "I think your fever may have finally broken."

Rumple winced, not looking like he felt much better even if it was a good sign. It was an uphill climb, there was no doubt about that. "How long…?" he managed, though a cough cut him off before he could finish and Belle reached for a glass of water by her side of the bed and he drank gratefully.

"Off and on for four days. Mary Margaret had her baby."

Rumplestiltskin managed to lift one hand a bit and made a sluggish twirling motion that was meant to very obviously feign excitement over the news and she had to laugh. Who would have thought that his snark would have been something she'd missed so badly?

"How are you feeling?"

"Worn," he answered after a moment. "Very worn."

"It'll get better. Regina said that she thinks you pushed beyond your limits."

"Shouldn't have limits," he groused.

"Everyone has limits, Rumple. Even the Dark One."

He snorted softly and she felt another rush of relief. This was the longest stretch of coherency he'd had since the night of Bae's welcome home party.

A soft sigh escaped him. "You'd think if I've been sleeping for four days I'd feel a bit better rested."

She frowned. "You weren't really resting, Rumple. I think you were dreaming quite a bit. You'd wake with the most horrible screams."

Rumple cringed. "I hope I didn't keep you up."

"Don't be silly," Belle huffed. "I'm just…." She didn't know if she should ask. What if asking spiraled him back down into those terrible nightmares again? He'd always seemed to want to push past bad experiences, boxing them up and refusing to deal with them. This didn't seem to be one that his mind was allowing him to do that with, but she certainly didn't want to be the one to force him into anything.

He must have read it on her face because he reached up and his fingers touched her cheek. "My sweetheart," he breathed. "You truly are a wonder."

"What did she do to you?" The words had left her lips before she'd given them permission and his expression was almost unbearable. She curled into him, her arm wrapped firmly around his waist and her head on his chest so that she could hear the steady beating of his heart. "I'm sorry, but I know it was terrible. I've never seen you react to anything like that. Even when I…."

He cleared his throat, his arm coming up to hold her close. "Even when you what, sweetheart?" he managed.

"I couldn't even touch you when you had one of those dreams."

She felt him shudder under her, his grip tightening. "Zelena," he said very slowly, tasting and weighing each word as it left his lips, "needed to show that she held the power. The dagger wasn't enough for her."

"What she did to Bae," Belle whispered and he kissed the top of her head.

"To Bae and what she would have done to you had she had the time. I know she wouldn't have killed me without making me harm you. She was just waiting until the time was right. Thankfully… Thankfully you and the others got there first."

"You wouldn't have hurt me," she answered, the response automatic even though they both knew it wasn't true.

"I would never want to, no, but she could have made me." He pulled in a deep breath, steadying himself and his voice was tired when he spoke again, but much clearer than it had been in days when he'd called out in his sleep. "When someone has control of my dagger the only thing I have control of is my mind. It's like… like being a doll for someone else's amusement. They can do anything."

"What if you resist?"

"There is no resistance."

"I can't imagine-"

"Good," he said quickly. "Don't. Don't imagine it. It's terrible to feel someone else in control of your very soul."

"She hurt you." It wasn't a question. Belle had meant for it to be, but when the words left her they were a known truth.

"Yes."

She could feel the tears building now and she sat up enough to look in his eyes. She would be strong for him. She had to be strong for him. That way he could lean on her even if she couldn't fix the damage done. "I love you," she swore fiercely. "I love you and I'm here for anything you need."

Rumple stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes careful and guarded against the pain that was walled off just on the other side. His hand came to the side of her face and he pulled her down carefully, their lips meeting and the kiss only deepened. Finally, when they broke, he was offering what he could of a smile. "I love you too."

Belle smiled through her tears, the salty drops sliding down her cheeks and onto him. Somehow, in that moment, she knew that it was going to be a long road, but there was going to be an end to it. He was going to be okay.

A loud buzz sounded through the room and she glared in direction of the phone. He chuckled at her expression and she let it go. It stopped after a moment, silent and still on the table next to the bed, but then started again almost immediately and she growled in frustration as she rolled over to grab it. This better be damn important. She was generally a very patient woman, but even she had her limits with things that could be interrupted.

Emma's name flashed across her screen and she slid the phone to accept the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, my phone's dead. Using Emma's," Baelfire's voice met her ear. "How's Pop?"

The irritation left in an instant and she glanced over to where Rumple was lying against his pillow, eyes heavy with impending sleep. "Doing better. He's awake and his fever's broken I think."

"Finally," her love's son breathed. "I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be in later than I thought. Something's going on and I'm helping Emma and David with it."

"What's going on? Is Mary Margaret okay?"

"Yeah, she's great. There was… Well, we think someone was murdered. We're trying to figure out what happened."

"Murdered?" Belle gasped and Rumple stirred next to her, eyes blinking to clear the sleep from them and coming to focus a bit better. "What do you mean 'think'?"

Bae sighed on the other end. "It was brutal. It's… Well, I guess we're hoping that it was an animal of some kind. If it was a murder, I don't know what kind of person could have done something like this, you know?"

"Be careful."

"Oh yeah, we're good. I'll be in after dinner."

"We'll see you then." The phone clicked, ending the call and Belle found dark eyes watching her carefully.

"What happened?"

"Someone's died… Bae didn't have many details, but he's helping Emma out with the investigation."

"Murdered?"

"He doesn't know."

"I need to-" He was trying to sit up. He was  _actually_  trying to make it out of bed after four days of barely enough water to keep him hydrated and no food. Belle didn't have to push him back down, he managed that ungraceful collapse all on his own.

"If you're feeling well enough to try to stumble your way out of bed, you're well enough to get some food in you first. You won't do Bae any good the way you are right now." He tried to glare at her and she matched it, refusing to budge. "Eat, rest, and then maybe in a couple of days if they don't have this wrapped up then you can join in."

"I need to know he's safe."

"He's safe," she promised, kissing him gently. "He's safe because no one would dare risk you coming after them, and you know that."

He found it in himself to chuckle and she smiled down at him. "Now stay here and I'll get you something to eat."

She was at the door when he cleared his throat, emotions weighing heavier than exhaustion. "I don't deserve you, you know."

"It's not about what either of us deserves, Rumple. I love you. I will never, ever leave you."

"Love you," he whispered and she could tell he was drifting off again. She only hoped that Bae and Emma wrapped whatever this was up quickly so that he'd take the time he needed to truly recover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - People are being brutally murdered in Storybrooke and Bae and Emma search for answers.
> 
> Also, it seems like AO3 is duplicating a previous note for some reason this morning. The above is the only end note :)


	13. Chapter 13

Baelfire had barely gotten a chance to breathe since coming back to Storybrooke and he wasn't sure that that was necessarily a bad thing, though he wouldn't have picked this particular set of events to have been his distraction. The first death they'd hoped against hope was due to some sort of wild animal. It was possible. The woman - in Storybrooke she'd been a newscaster for the local news, but in the Enchanted Forest she had been, apparently, one of Regina's distant cousins, though the former Evil Queen had never actually met her - had been found at the edge of the forest. She'd been ripped apart and one arm had been found several yards away by one of Robin Hood's Merry Men that had reported it in. She'd been quite pretty before, but there was hardly anything recognizable in what was left.

Between his father's illness, making up for lost time with Henry, and helping Emma and her father out with this increasingly strange case, Bae hadn't had a chance to dwell on exactly what had happened and he had no complaints over that particular part of all of this chaos. He would have prefered not looking at brutally murdered corpses though. That part he could have done without.

The second murder had shown up just under forty-eight hours later in the exact same fashion and this time it was near to impossible to keep it quiet. If David had done so with the first one to keep panic at bay, it only helped to fuel the fire when Mitchell Herman - a well respected businessman in Storybrooke and a king in the Enchanted Forest - was found ripped limb from limb not too far off the beaten path. The story seemed to be wrapping its way through the town in varying degrees even before Bae had gotten to the sheriff's department.

"Ruby found this one," Emma said with a sigh. "She said that she smelled the blood and went to check it out."

"I do not envy her that little side effect," Bae murmured, wrinkling his own nose at the thought.

"Speaking of, any side effects from… well, I don't know. Whatever you were… Being in that vault?"

Bae shrugged, watching Emma move to lean against her desk. They were waiting on her father to get back from his lunch break with Mary Margaret and their new son before they dove straight back into everything. He half expected his own father to come striding through the door at any point after the discussion they'd had earlier. Belle had warned him that that giving too many details would set his dad on edge and he should have known, but they'd promised each other to keep things as open as possible to help heal old wounds to any degree that they could. Bae took promises very seriously and he'd told Rumplestiltskin everything he knew about the case that morning over breakfast - after being called out at six in the morning when Ruby'd found him on her run - though that had not gone as well as expected. At least his father's near panic attack over his safety was born out of love and nothing any darker than that. Belle had kept him from joining first off, but he really did expect him at any point now. "Nope. Whale finally got that blood work back and he said nothing seems abnormal in it. Whatever that vault did seemed to set everything back."

"We live crazy lives."

"You're telling me. Any decisions on you and Henry staying? You know, since you seem to have just picked right back up…?"

"He wants to."

"It's not all bad, you know."

"Funny, seems that way," Emma sighed and their eyes met. "We've been here a few weeks and we've fought the Wicked Witch of the West only to trade her in for some crazy murderer. Did you hear that David talked to Blue this morning and she says that there's no question that it was a magical attack that killed both people?"

Bae snorted. "Glad I didn't know  _that_  over breakfast. Pop would have had a fit if I'd told him."

"If you'd told me what?"

Emma actually jumped at the new voice and Bae's eyes darted over to the entrance to meet a pair the same colour as his own. His father still looked exhausted, but he was on his feet - leaning heavily against his old cane as he was, that didn't seem to be a particular side effect that was leaving him too quickly - and the lines in his face looked just a little deeper. He was up and out, though, and that was likely due to the fact that Belle had mentioned that she was going to go by the shop to see to a few things this afternoon. He'd been biding his time for that one.

The expectant look that Bae was receiving nearly made him laugh, but he thought that it might have been a poor choice at that point, so he cleared his throat to cover it. "Emma was just saying that the Blue Fairy thinks that these murders were caused by magic." He turned his attention over to the blonde as Rumplestiltskin moved slowly in to join the conversation. "Is that all she said?"

"That seemed to be it. David said she was pretty vague and seemed distracted."

"She tends to when she doesn't want to help," Rumple said easily.

"What about you? Would you be able to give us something more to go on? Regina's our only other choice and she's been hard to reach unless it's to pick Henry up."

"I could take a look. My magic is… coming around, but sensing magic used on someone else is simple."

"What would we owe you?" Emma asked carefully and Bae watched the exchange, making a mental note to find out just how she'd wound up owing him the favour that he'd called that had taken them all to New York in the first place.

"Nothing."

It was Emma's turn to snort. "Right. Some favour that you haven't decided on yet or-"

"Nothing," Bae's papa repeated, straightening a bit as if he were offended. "What I told you out at the graveyard still stands, Miss Swan."

"Seriously?"

"I think you need to stop asking him and take it for what it is," Baelfire chuckled. Rumplestiltskin wasn't the most patient person when it came to questions anyway, but add in there the same one again and again mixed with exhaustion and it really could boil over rather quickly.

"Thank you, Bae," Rumple answered as footsteps sounded down the hall, signaling someone's approach.

David rounded the doorway and stopped only briefly at the sight of the newcomer. "You're up."

"That's a very astute observation there."

"Papa," Bae grumbled, but David seemed to be more amused than offended.

"Good to have you back. We actually have something we could use your help with, if you're willing."

"Your daughter's already enlisted my help, such as it may be at this point. Though it sounds like I'm more willing than your wife's patron fairy."

"She's… Yeah. Let's head over to the hospital and see if you can shed any light on all this. We've got a small townhall set for this evening and I'd like to have something for them."

Bae grabbed for his phone and tossed Emma her keys as they all began to follow David out the door, but he stopped his father's exit just short. "Hey, I know you're getting a little restless at the house, but-"

"I'm fine, Bae."

"You promise?"

This seemed to add a bit more weight to it and it took the elder man a moment before he offered a tired smile and he spoke in hushed voice so that only his son could hear him. "I'm getting there. Not there yet, but this shouldn't be an issue."

"Okay. I trust you, Papa."

* * *

Bae hadn't been surprised to see him and Rumplestiltskin wondered if his son simply knew him too well or if he was losing his touch. The way Emma had jumped answered the question well enough, though, and he'd felt the briefest flicker of satisfaction in still being able to bring that sort of reaction around in her. She'd never been afraid of him and that bravery was one of the qualities he admired most in her. She'd learned quickly enough not to underestimate him, but it was near to impossible to bully her into anything. If there had ever been a match for his son, it was this woman, and he had no doubt in his mind that it would be his grandson that would put that particular match together.

Something deeply embedded in his mind had made him uncomfortable in hospitals. It was possible that it stemmed from the false memories Regina had provided him with as part of the Dark Curse to explain his bad ankle, but he thought it was more likely that he'd never had a good experience with a medical facility in his life, including the so-called healer that had either not cared to or hadn't known how to set his ankle properly after the bones had been splintered and destroyed by the mallet just before battle. Regardless of where it came from, he'd never particularly enjoyed Storybrooke's hospital, but that was where the morgue resided and he found himself following Emma, Bae, and David in.

They were met at the door of the morgue by an almost hysterical Thomas, his eyes rimmed from either exhaustion or tears and Ella stood just behind him holding a little blonde girl that must have been their daughter. "Thomas," she called to him, but the prince was already striding towards them with all the fury he could muster rolling off of him.

"Where the hell have you been? My father is dead and you're-" He stopped himself and Rumplestiltskin met his gaze evenly. "You. You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"What would I possibly have to gain from killing your father?" Rumple asked without missing a beat. Accusations were most certainly nothing new and once everyone had received their memories back Thomas had never missed an opportunity to shoot a glare in his direction.

The young man snorted. "Getting back at us for what you thought was a broken deal!"

"It  _was_  a broken deal, dearie. Your dear Ella -" he glanced back at the woman and didn't miss the way she flinched when he said her name - "made a deal with me that she failed to pay the price for. Thankfully, for you, Emma here understands that nothing in life is free and she paid the debt that was owed. Hope you thanked her properly."

"We had you thrown in prison."

"Good thing I'm always where I'd like to be for my own purposes, though I'm starting to think you're trying to give me a reason hold a grudge against you, lad. I'd suggest you stop now."

"Papa," Bae murmured and his son touched his shoulder.

Rumple hadn't realized how close he'd gotten into Thomas' face and the boy was more than a little intimidated as he pressed himself up against the wall. The Dark One cleared his throat, taking a step back and he felt Bae relax behind him.

"Thomas, why don't you wait out here?" David offered his old friend softly. "We'll let you know as soon as we find out more, I promise."

Rumplestiltskin was already following Emma and Bae into the room where the bodies were being kept and Charming's voice faded behind them as the door shut. The first thing that hit him was the overwhelming magical power that still radiated off of the covered bodies. It nearly toppled him because he hadn't been ready for it and he widened his stance a bit and pulled in a steadying breath. Emma was watching him carefully and he'd have wagered that she felt it too, even if she didn't know exactly what it was that she was feeling.

His movements were slow, not risking a delayed warning that his magic might give off to him over a hidden danger. The woman was the first and when he pulled the sheet back he thought she might have once resembled her younger cousin, but it was difficult to tell now. As far as he knew she had been the daughter of one of Regina's father's elder brothers. The girl never would have sat on a throne, of course, but he highly doubted that she'd thought she would meet her end in this way.

Rumple had heard the animal attack theory that had been their first hope in this case. He saw now why they'd have thought that, but he'd seen a fair share of magical wounds in his life and these still radiated with that power. Some were deep, others shallow, and bruises showed that she'd been picked wholly up and slammed into something solid. Likely more than once.

Likely until she died.

He moved to the second table, feeling all eyes in the room follow him. David had returned, closing the door behind him, but he shut the movement out when he pulled the sheet back on Thomas' late father. Rumple had done business with him in Storybrooke and the king had even called on him once in his youth over something trivial that the Dark One could hardly remember. He hadn't known him well, certainly, but even he would admit that this man probably didn't deserve the level of pain he'd suffered before finally gasping out his last breath.

Rumplestiltskin stretched a hand out over the body, his magic spotty and partially unresponsive in places, and finally he loosed a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and turned back to the others. "Best I can tell it would appear that they were both hit with raw magical power. It doesn't look like a well controlled attack, much like a powerful magic user simply… let loose with quite a bit of built up aggression."

"Who would have that kind of power level?" David asked.

"Not many," Rumple answered softly, his gaze still on the partially uncovered bodies. "In fact, there are quite a few that would have that level of power and we know most of them. Regina would be able to reach it, Maleficent would, and of course I could."

"Regina doesn't have a motive," Emma said quickly.

"Nor is this her style, even if she did. No, this wasn't Regina, nor was it Maleficent. This looks like someone that would have had the natural power that Zelena had when I first met her, but not the control. I've never seen anything like it."

"So we're looking at someone that you and Regina probably haven't met before?" Bae asked.

"That seems to be the only option presenting itself as of now. Perhaps someone that was brought in through this new curse that we weren't aware of. This-" he motioned to what was left of what had been people just days before - "was powerful magic."

"And timed too closely to the opening of your vault for us to brush it off as a coincidence." His magic had tugged at him too late. Rumplestiltskin looked over with everyone else at where the Blue Fairy stood in the doorway. "I warned you about this."

"I'll tell you what you can do with your damn warning, Blue," Rumple growled and Emma and her father took a step between the old rivals before anything further than words could be thrown about in the contained space.

"For all your talk of prices, you didn't count the cost of this one. You had no way to know the repercussions of bringing something like the Vault of the Dark One into the Land Without Magic."

"But you do, of course."

"There are endless possibilities. One of which is that it won't have held her properly. You have said yourself that Zelena was powerful. If she was able to break free-"

"She can't."

"How do you know?"

"Because there must be an equal exchange."

"In the Enchanted Forest. Here-"

"Zelena is  _gone_ ," Rumplestiltskin snapped loudly, his voice bouncing off the walls with all his usual power backing it for just a moment before he swayed, the outburst nearly sending him to the ground. Bae was at his side instantly. "I'm fine, son," he murmured, but didn't pull away.

"Just because you want her to be gone doesn't mean she is," Blue answered softly. "There's only one way to know for sure. You and I will go to the vault and see if it opened. If it hasn't opened since Baelfire came up from it, wonderful. At least we'll know."

"Go yourself if you think she's escaped," Rumple managed, feeling his energy waning dangerously.

"I… can't."

This caught his attention and he forced himself to look at her even as he leaned heavily against Bae.

She frowned. "I told you that you brought a great darkness here in that. I can't go near it without being allowed in. You have to be there."

Baelfire's grip tightened on him. "Not today."

"You expect this to wait?" the fairy asked. "Two people are  _dead_."

"Yeah, I do. Listen, I know you don't approve of what he did. I don't really care, honestly. He did it for me so you can back off." She bristled at his tone but he kept going. "Let's take a step back, let Papa get some rest, and we'll head out there in the morning."

We. He didn't like the idea of Bae going anywhere near that vault again. It was absurd, he knew, to think that the thing might just open up at his very presence and swallow him, but the mental image was certainly strong. "Bae, there's no need for you-"

"You're not in this alone, Papa." The words hit hard and he must have staggered again because Bae tightened his grip. "Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - As the body count keeps rising, Rumplestiltskin and the others go back out to the vault to look for signs of an untimely escape.   
> Also, not sure why but AO3 is is pulling an old note from an old chapter. The one above is the only note.


	14. Chapter 14

The ride home had been a blur for Rumplestiltskin and he was quite certain by the time Baelfire ushered him out of the passenger seat of his own car that even if he’d wanted to go out to that field that afternoon he wouldn’t have been able to.  He was trembling and Bae was half dragging him up the steps and into the house.

“Belle’s going to kill me, you know,” his son was saying as he eased him down on the couch. He disappeared for a moment, returning with a glass of water that he pushed into his hands, a look on his face that said that no amount of argument would get him out of it.

“She won’t blame you,” Rumple said quietly as he tipped the glass back, the cold liquid racing down his dry throat and hitting his stomach, causing it to roll dangerously. He pulled in a shaky breath and tried to focus on not throwing up. A breath in, a breath out. If he did that enough it would ease. It had to ease eventually. It had eventually subsided even in that stale cellar when one of Zelena’s tempers had sent him reeling without any way to fight back.

“Papa?”

Bae was knelt down on the floor in front of him now, looking up as Rumple tried to catch his breath. He hadn’t realized how quickly he’d started pulling them in now and he could feel memories edging into reality and he pushed at them hard and the glass slipped from his hand.

His son was too startled to catch it, but he grabbed for Rumple’s hand and held onto it even as the glass hit the rug at their feet. “Hey. You with me?”

“Yeah.”

“No you’re not. Come on back, Papa.”

Brown eyes met brown and Bae took his other hand as well, acting as an anchor. Part of him wondered where his son had learned how to do this, who he’d known that had spiraled quite so terribly. Surely he’d had enough darkness in his own life to have been close to that tipping point himself and perhaps someone had pulled him back in the same way he was trying to now.

“Hey,” his voice sounded again and Rumplestiltskin loosed the breath he didn’t realize he’d held.

“I’m here,” he murmure at last and Bae gripped his hands tightly. His stomach had settled a bit now and his chest didn’t feel quite so tight. It was a terrible feeling to be so out of control, even though he knew he had his dagger in his possession now.

Bae shifted to sit next to him on the couch and leaned a bit into him, always keeping one hand in his own. “You sleeping?”

“Some.”

“Not resting?”

“I dream a lot.”

The younger man hummed softly. “You remember when I had those nightmares? Right after Mom left?”

The fact that his son knew that she had left and had not been killed should have registered more than it did, but Bae did know Killian Jones well. It was likely that none of that fiasco remained hidden now. “I do.”

“I’d wake up screaming and crying and you were always right there. You calmed me down and reminded me they were just dreams.” There was a distant sort of sound to Bae’s voice, like he was remembering better days somehow, and Rumple felt him grip his hand tighter. “You were always right there,” he whispered again. “I never woke up from those dreams alone. Not once.”

“Bae…”

“Get some rest, Papa. It’s my turn.”

Rumplestiltskin found himself nodding, his son’s steady voice and firm grip on him soothing and he thought he might be brave enough to risk just a few minutes.

He didn’t wake again for a collection of hours, and when he did he found Bae leaning against him, sleeping as well. Belle’s voice drifted in from the foyer, bordering on irritated and he could hear her kicking off her heels even as she spoke sharply.

“Listen here, it’s hardly his fault that- Yes. Of course I understand, I’m not a fool. You can’t ask him to- No. Just no!”

Baelfire shifted next to him, blinking slowly as he too was roused by the sound of the irritable brunette. Belle was pacing the front hall, listening to whoever was on the other end of the line and she let out a frustrated huff.

There’d been another murder. He could hear it in her voice and the person on the other end of the line was pointing fingers blindly. Bae gave his hand a squeeze before standing, nearly toppling off to one side as he stretched and turned. Rumple simply turned on the couch, catching Belle’s eye briefly and she shot an apologetic look his way. He reached out and she shook her head. “Belle, I’ll handle it,” he murmured.

She didn’t want to hand him the phone, he knew, but the person on the other end must have heard him and she handed it over, moving to speak lowly to Bae.

“There’s been another murder. I _told_ you delaying could cost someone their life,” Blue’s sharp tone hit his ear, instantly giving him a headache.

“What do you want?” Rumple asked hoarsely. “Shall I meet you out there immediately then?”

It had been meant as sarcasm, but the Blue Fairy took the offer and ran with it. “Yes,” she said and the line went dead.

Rumplestiltskin blinked at the phone. “I hate her.”

“Did you really just offer to meet her out there?” Bae asked.

“Well it wasn’t an actual offer, but at this point she’ll blow up every phone in the damn house and come knocking on the door if I don’t show.”

“She’s so convinced that the vault has something to do with this,” Belle murmured hesitantly. “She wouldn’t… Well she wouldn’t make sure it did, would she?”

Rumple sighed, slowly easing himself off the couch. He felt only marginally better, but the last hours’ sleep had been the most peaceful rest he’d had in quite some time. It was enough to get him out there and allow him what he needed. “I shouldn’t think even she would be that foolish,” he said after a moment.

“Who are you calling?” his son asked.

“Regina. She may not be that foolish, but that doesn’t mean I trust her.”

* * *

  
  


The call had come as a surprise, more so than the third murder. Emma had called Regina to let her know she was going out to the site where the vault had been brought through after yet another body had been found. This one had been related to King George, some distance relative of this or that lineage, but no one missed that it was the third royal death.

It hadn’t been Emma’s call that had surprised her, though, but Rumple’s. He had been very straightforward with everything that he knew and it had been a strange sort of conversation because of it.

"His being honest is a bad thing?" Robin asked from his place on the couch, injured leg propped up. He still looked like he’d been through hell, but some of the bruises were beginning to fade and a particularly nasty gash across his cheek was finally starting to look a little better.

Regina shrugged, her heels tapping against her polished wood floors as she moved across them. “It’s unsettling.” She stopped, glancing back and sighed. “Rumple has never been the most forthcoming individual. The fact that he divulged as much information as he did means he doesn’t trust whoever he feels is trying to pull the strings. Probably Blue.”

“Trying?”

A smirk made its way to her lips. “If Rumplestiltskin is involved, he’s always pulling the strings.”

Robin shifted in his place, wincing as he did. “Except when Zelena was involved,” he pointed out quietly and the dark haired woman froze where she was.

“Except then,” she admitted softly. She’d been over briefly while he slept and dreamed and she’d hardly recognized him in that state. Even the former Evil Queen had taken a step back when he’d thrashed against the terrible nightmares, his scream dying out in a terribly small whimper that was so unlike anything she’d ever seen from him. Even when Snow and Charming had locked him away he’d seemed more entertained than anything else. This was something else entirely.

“If they’re going back out to the vault then they think that this might have something to do with Zelena,” Robin said. “Do you think she’d come back up from that.”

“No. It doesn’t matter how quickly he had to put it together, if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that Rumple never does anything halfway. She’s down there for good. This is just a precaution.”

“He doesn’t trust this fairy?”

“ _I_ don’t trust the fairy,” Regina grumbled. “Get to know her sometime. You’ll see why.”

Robin chuckled. “I’d very much prefer continuing to get to know you.”

She could feel her cheeks heating at the statement. Damn the man if he couldn’t get under her skin in all the right ways. He and Roland had been staying at her home the last few days and she wasn’t sure she ever wanted them to leave. He might be perfectly comfortable around a campfire and sleeping under a tree, but Regina thought Roland seemed to enjoy the the bed that she’d made up for him in the room next to Henry’s and the house seemed a little less lonely with them. Perhaps a lot less.

Robin grabbed her hand, pulling her closer so that he could kiss her knuckles. “Be careful. I’d be there if I could.”

“You’ve got your hands full here, trust me. You haven’t seen chaos until you see two young boys in the middle of a pizza and video games night.”

A grin took hold and he pulled her down and she let him. It was strange, how easily they seemed to fit, but Tinker Bell had been right about it. There was no questioning the energy that came from every kiss that proved its source.

It took everything she had to leave him then, but three people had already died and her son and his weren’t going to be kept indoors forever. She met Emma, Neal, Belle, and Rumple at the edge of the woods where he’d pulled the vault through just a week before. The site still radiated with dark energy, though not nearly as strongly as it had in those moments. It had been intoxicating when he’d ripped it through and she hadn’t thought anyone could have pulled on that kind of power without it destroying them. One look at him now, though, and she thought that it must have come closer than any of them would like to admit.

“Hey,” Emma called, crossing the space to meet her. “Robin watching Henry?”

A smile twitched into being. “Yes, if he can keep up.” Her gaze drifted over to where Neal and Belle were both speaking quietly with Rumple and she cleared her throat. “Let me guess. We’re waiting on the Blue Fairy.”

Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes. “She hasn’t graced us with her presence yet.”

Regina shot him a disbelieving look. “And you’re waiting on her?”

“Just until you got here, dearie. She’s officially the last to show though she was the one demanding everyone’s presence. She can wait outside if she can’t manage to get in.”

He didn’t sound quite as bad as he had on the phone before, but the former Evil Queen saw the slower way in which he was moving. The cane was back and he looked to be depending on it once again to keep him upright. Belle was attached to his side, looking just as worried as she had been when Regina had dropped by the house and Neal only lagged back a little from them.

“Rumplestiltskin.”

The Dark One stopped, rolling his eyes again at the high and mighty voice the Blue Fairy and Regina hid the chuckle that threatened. Oh, exhausted as he might be, all polite pretence would be ripped away from this conversation and she had a front row seat. She’d always enjoyed a good verbal sparring and Rumple most certainly delivered that no matter his state.

“We had agreed that a certain amount of balance was needed for this.”

“We agreed on no such thing, dearie,” Rumple growled out as he started back for the center of the field and where the vault had been flat against the ground. “No one’s stopping you from joining. Most of us simply have better things to do than sit around all evening and wait on you to show.”

The eldest fairy bristled at the statement and Regina watched her cross the invisible line that they were all standing on the other side of, having to quicken her pace to catch up. Darkness fueled Regina and Rumple, giving them a boost that they might have needed, but it would weigh heavily against someone like Blue. Funny, the queen thought, in that she was not the only one convinced that the bug had more than a few of her own things to hide.

“I did try to warn you earlier. Perhaps if we’d come out this afternoon then poor girl might be-”

“ _Enough_ ,” Rumplestiltskin growled and Blue fell silent with the force behind the word.

Regina watched him as he moved to the center of the field, waving Belle and Neal back. Emma lingered as well, but the dark haired queen didn’t pause. She came to stand right next to him, eyeing the patterns lightly etched in the sunken dirt. It looked like someone had thrown one of those beans into the field and it had swallowed half of it up, leaving only sketches as remains. “It did just as you said.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” her former teacher answered with a knowing smile. He bent carefully, kneeling down and his fingers ran across the markings, magic leaping off of them in exploration.

Regina waited, knowing better than to question him while he was searching and watched for any signs that something was going wrong. He was the least likely person to receive a bad effect from this site, but that didn’t mean that in his state they could know anything like that for sure.

A gust of magic jumped up and he stood, for a moment looking steadier and he shot a look back in Blue’s direction. “Well, you can stop pointing your finger in my direction, dearie. This hasn’t been opened since the day I brought it through. It should be gone entirely by this time tomorrow. The next day at the latest.”

“Is it just me or does she look irritated that she can’t blame either one of us for this?” Regina whispered.

Rumple offered her a smirk. “I believe that particular expression doesn’t fade. She’s just put out that she can’t pin the girl’s demise on me.”

Blue was standing with her nose tilted up in the air and her lips pressed thinly. It was enough to widen Rumplestiltskin’s smirk to a full out grin and Regina the join in with her own small smile. Well, if this proved one thing it was that no matter the side they chose, they would always be united against that damn sparkling bug.

 

* * *

  
  
  


The citizens of Storybrooke were not unaccustomed to strange happenings, or even dangerous ones for that matter. Even so, they’d been advised to stay in after dark both when Zelena had been roaming about - that hadn’t worked particularly well with the curiosity level peaking each time something happened in the streets - and after she’d been defeated when the murders had immediately started. The town gossips - if Archibald Hopper had listened to town gossip, that is - said that the murders were some sort of judgement for opening up something as terrible as the Vault of the Dark One. They said that the darkness was reaching out from the very earth and swallowing people up, spitting them back out when it was done. Rumplestiltskin had brought it and, as per the usual, he was shoveling that price off on others around him.

Archie hardly thought that the theories were founded in sound reason. They were speculative ideas from creative minds with little else to do and looking for someone to blame. He’d known Rumplestiltskin for quite some time now - longer than he’d like to admit, when it came right down to it, but he certainly would never lie about it - and he’d seen a change in the man that shouldn’t have been possible with his curse. While wild rumours spread throughout Storybrooke as to the real purpose behind bringing a vault such as that into the land, the thief-turned-conscious-turned-man knew at least a little more than the average citizen of the town and it stirred up memories of Mr Gold’s visit to his door to speak about his long-lost son.

The third murder within just a few days had made Archie a little nervous to walk home from the diner as the sun was setting deep into the sky, but Pongo had always had a good sense for danger. He’d decided he was safe enough until the dalmatian gave a low growl aimed at a dark corner. The therapist swallowed hard, craning around to try to get a look at what Ponger had seen or smelled without being spotted himself.

Something moved in the shadows and he froze as he saw a figure stumble from them. She was covered in blood, her blonde hair tangled and matted with hit and she fell to her knees against the sidewalk before making it to him. Pongo pulled free and rushed to her, followed immediately by his owner.

“Miss? Miss are you alright?”

She let out a small groan as he tried to turn her over, blinking at him drowsily. He thought he recognized her. That was it. She’d been known as Kathryn Nolan here, but she was King Midas’ daughter Abigail in the Enchanted Forest.

“Dr Hopper?” she managed.

He was already fumbling with his cell phone, trying to dial for help. “What happened?”

“He came out of nowhere. I’ve never… seen that kind of power before. My father….”

“We’ll find him,” Archie promised and the line connected.

“My father,” she whispered again and tears were streaming down even as her eyes slipped close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: Belle and Mary Margaret receive a strange visitor while the newest murder hits a little closer to home


	15. Chapter 15

It had been days since the last murders. Four directly in a row and then silence from the killer. The last had been King Midas, a man that had found very few enemies in his life. Every person that they’d spoken to about him had remembered him fondly from the Enchanted Forest and it seemed there had been nothing changed in his Storybrooke personality. He was generous and kind, and though he was most certainly royalty, he had not had the distinct sense of entitlement that so often came with them in Storybrooke when they were forced to live the lives they’d been dealt by the Dark Curse.

There were small differences in his death beyond being what they could only hope was the last one. Midas had been killed within the town itself, not in the woods or outside the main town as the others had. He’d been butchered, just as the others, but it was as if someone had taken their time with him. Rumple had explained that the first two irradiated with raw, dark power, but that the third that they’d found had seemed just a bit more contained. Midas, though, had been killed slowly, at least compared to the bursts that had likely killed the others fairly quickly.

He also had not been alone.

Emma and David had gone to see Kathryn the morning after Archie had gotten her to the hospital. She’d survived, though it was touch and go for the first forty-eight hours or so. David had been truly torn up over it and had told the princess’ husband - he was a gym teacher in Storybrooke, but he’d been a great knight in the Enchanted Forest, one that David seemed to hold in the highest of regards -  that they would put all of their resources into finding Midas’ murderer and if they had needed anything, he and Mary Margaret and Emma were there.

When Kathryn had finally made it back to coherency enough that she could speak to Emma about what she saw she’d nearly broken down the first time. She was a strong woman, one that had met and overcome countless hardships before but this had shredded her. Her husband had ushered the young sheriff out of the room immediately and they’d received nothing until the next day.

Belle had gone into the shop that morning, making Rumple promise her that he would call if he were going out. He’d been better, though the nightmares remained. They crept into his sleep at least once a night, dragging him back to wakefulness and he rarely returned to bed after them. Between large quantities of coffee and catching naps here and there, he seemed to be returning to a mostly functional state, but she worried about what that would really look like if they were facing an enemy that was not only powerful, but clever as well.

The bell rang, announcing someone and she set the records down that she’d been trying to make sense of to see to it. When Belle walked into the main shop she found a smiling Mary Margaret there with a tiny bundle in a carrier and instantly she echoed the expression. “You brought him by!”

“Everything’s been so crazy I realized you hadn’t met him yet.” Mary Margaret set the carrier up on the counter, the little boy’s eyes blinking sleepily open and he offered a yawn for a greeting. “Say hello to Leo.”

“He’s precious,” Belle cooed, reaching down to run her finger across soft, dark hair. Blue eyes stared unfocused in her direction and he yawned again, obviously deciding that he’d had about as much excitement as he could take and they slid closed again.

“David dropped by the hospital this morning and I thought you’d want that update too.”

“I’m surprised he’s letting you out at all with a killer on the loose.”

“He knows I can’t stay cooped up forever.”

“Did she remember anything?”

“It sounds like they were abducted when they were out for a walk on the edge of the forest. Kathryn says that’s all she really remembers before everything went black. She woke up to find her father dead, saw a shadow of a man that she can’t remember the face of, and ran. He hit her with some sort of powerful magic and she says she doesn’t even remember Archie finding her. Poor thing. This isn’t the first time she’s been abducted.”

“Emma told me that story,” Belle murmured softly, still watching the snoozing child in his carrier. “That’s it then? We’re not much further along than we were before.”

“You say that only because you were already out,” Mary Margaret huffed, causing Belle to giggle.

The door opening again caught both women’s attention and a man walked in. He moved slowly and paused in the entrance, glancing back as if he wanted to make sure it the sign was flipped to open. Neither princess recognized him, but that was nothing new. Zelena’s curse had brought many people through that hadn’t been brought with the first curse and seemed to have left others behind. He was of average enough height with grey, receding hair that was slicked back. He would have blended in with any crowd and he offered the smallest of smiles, never quite meeting their sudden gazes but looking just shy of their eyes.

“Is this… Is it open?” he asked and Belle offered a welcoming smile.

“Yes, we are,” she answered cheerfully. “Still getting your bearings?”

“Yes, a bit,” he answered, taking to her greeting and entered to shut the door behind him. “I’m afraid I missed the last round. This is quite an… experience.”

“It’s a bit of a shock at first, but you’d be surprised how well people adapt,” Belle offered. “Were you looking for something or someone in particular?”

“Just getting to know the lay of the land,” the man murmured, his brown eyes finally coming to rest on them individually and Belle pushed back a small tightening in her chest. “Might Mr Gold be around?”

“He’s not, actually. Did you know him in the Enchanted Forest?”

“Oh, our paths crossed very briefly, though he’s bound not to remember a lowly man such as myself. I’m sorry, m’dear, but you were…?”

“Belle,” she answered, reaching over counter to shake his hand.

“From Avonlea, am I right? Sir Maurice’s daughter?”

“One in the same.”

“A pleasure, my dear." His gaze fell on the set of daggers that were kept behind glass and he bent to inspect them closely. "This one is from the Frontlands, isn't it?"

"I really couldn't say," Belle admitted.

"I’ll try back in a few days and hope to see Mr Gold then. I'm sure he'll have a good idea where they come from.”

Belle and Mary Margaret watched as he turned, offering a brief nod to them both in which he never quite made eye contact with. They watched him leave without ever giving his name and the bell had finally settled down when the elder woman gave a sigh. “Well, that had to have been the weirdest thing to happen so far this week, and that’s saying something.”

“Oh, it really wasn’t,” Belle laughed. “Most people in the Enchanted Forest have at least heard of Rumple, and when they find out that he’s the one that owns this shop they want a glimpse at the Dark One. You’d be surprised at the characters that walk in, thinking they’re being so discreet in their questions. It’s happened more this time, because the people that didn’t come through on the last curse didn’t know him as a pawn shop owner for twenty-eight years. All they know is Rumplestiltskin.” She smiled, rocking the carrier back and forth as little Leo started to stir again. “It’s always better he’s not here when it happens though. If they catch him in just the right mood he can give them a reason to be too frightened to come back.”

Mary Margaret’s eyes widened. “He doesn’t do anything to them, does he?”

“Nothing terrible,” Belle assured her. “He just spooks them. It was only once and the poor boy was rather obnoxious about it. I’d say it must have been a dare. We got that ever now and again at the Dark Castle, but mostly the wards kept people from getting too close for silly reasons. I think the castle had a sense of humour and loved to see Rumple after them from time to time.”

“A sense of humour?” Mary Margaret managed and Belle laughed at her expression.

“If we ever make it back, you and David should come see it. It’s really quite fascinating once you get past the name. I still don’t know how many years Rumple lived alone, but he must have gotten very bored for all the strange spells I found in just the few months I lived there.”

“I’ve been, actually, but I never spend much time there. Grumpy took me to try to find a cure for a potion, but maybe -” she picked up little Leo, her voice taking on an overly sweet tone as she kissed his chubby little face - “if your big sister will let herself be happy just once, then maybe there’ll be a wedding by the time we get home.”

“You really think that will happen?”

“Oh I hope so,” Mary Margaret breathed. “She doesn’t think anyone else sees it, but we do. Neal makes her happy. Don’t you think?”

“I know that he cares about her. When we were in the Enchanted Forest all he could think of was getting back to Emma and Henry. Bae loves his family very much.”

“And what about you?”

Belle blinked, startled. “What about me?”

“Well, you’ve finally got your love back…”

She could feel her cheeks heating and Snow White beamed at her. She really had been cooped up for far too long if she felt the sudden need to be in the middle of hers and Rumple’s relationship. “Well, we’re working through things… Rumple’s still… Well, it’ll be a while before …”

“He’s been through a lot.”

Oh good, she didn’t actually expect a full-out explanation. “He has.”

Mary Margaret set Leo back in his carrier and gave Belle a sudden and unexpected hug. “He has you. He’ll be okay.”

Sudden relief flooded through her, as unexpected as the embrace had been and Belle hugged her back. Rumple had been telling her that he was alright and that it was all going to be alright since she got him back, but the haunted look in his dark eyes as he woke up screaming from yet another nightmare night after night told a different sort of story. He was trying so hard, and so was she, but she’d never felt more useless in all her life and it hurt. It hurt not to be able to help him. It hurt not to know that everything would, actually be alright.

“Time may not clear everything away,” Mary Margaret said as she gave her one final squeeze, “but it’ll put things in perspective. I doubt he could have faced any of this without you.”

“Thank you,” Belle whispered and pulled her back in again. “Thank you.”

* * *

****  
  
  


Rumplestiltskin had never realized how large his home was, though he’d lived alone in the three story house for twenty-eight years without batting an eye at it. It was large and quiet and lonely when he was left to himself in it. Belle had needed some time outside of its walls, he knew, and he’d promised her that he’d stay put to keep her from worrying. Bae had been there when he’d made the promise, but he’d been called out by Emma when something that Kathryn thought she might remember about the attack. So he was left alone, refusing to call Belle no matter his own boredom and he couldn’t seem to find anything to keep his attention very long. Even his spinning wheel at sent chills up his spine when he’d sat on the stool.

_Spin away the madness._

He’d abandoned that idea immediately and could only hope that Zelena hadn’t managed to ruin one of the few constants in his life.

That was the problem though: exhaustion made it difficult to focus and he had no interest in finding himself trapped in a nightmare with no one to pull him out. So he was left to wander his own home, looking for something to do that wouldn't unravel the damage control already done. He wasn’t left with much.

He’d finally found an old music box, half restored and put onto a shelf by the new curse. The tools weren’t all at his home, but there were enough to allow him to tinker with it for a while before he’d received the news that had him standing outside the front of his own shop now. He’d been standing there for a good ten minutes and he’d been weighing, rehearsing, contemplating, and working through anything that could make this easier. There was nothing. For all his power, for all his intelligence, he could find nothing to make this easier.

Rumple had been ready to take a slow walk around the block when the front door to the shop opened and he suppressed the desire to jump. “What are you doing here?” Belle laughed at him, her smile pulled wide and the mirth made it all the way to her clear blue eyes. “You promised to call if you were going to leave.”

“I know I did,” he managed. “I meant to, it’s just….”

“What is it, Rumple?” she asked, her hand touching his. It sent shivers through his entire frame and he denied sudden urge to find any excuse to run. He had to tell her. He had to be strong for her, just as she was for him. The problem was that he didn’t know how.

“Let’s head back inside,” he murmured and urged her in. Her expression said that she knew something was going on, but hadn’t the faintest idea what. He limped in after her, his cane tapping the wooden floors and he closed the door and locked it, flipping the sign to closed and pulling the blinds.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice was quiet now and it made his chest clench tightly.

“Sit down.”

“I really think-”

“Please, sweetheart. You’re going to want to sit.”

“I’m fine. Just… What is it? Is Bae okay?”

“Baelfire’s just fine.”

“Henry?”

“He is too.”

“Then what-”

“There’s been another murder,” Rumplestiltskin said slowly, his jaw threatening to freeze shut on each syllable and his mind in a whirl. All of the words he’d strung together outside betrayed him now. They could flee when he could not. “They found the truck idling on the road and apparently one of the dwarves went to see where he was. They found him….”

She reached up and pressed her hand against the side of his face. “Found who, Rumple? You’re not making any sense.”

“I’m so sorry, Belle.”

Then she knew. The realization lit her eyes before she took a step back. “No,” she whispered and he saw the signs just as her knees gave and he caught her, reaching out to the counter to balance them both. “No. I spoke to him this morning. We talked about… He agreed that when all of this was settled that he’d have dinner with us… That he’d get to know you for you. He said….” Tears were building faster than they could stay and began spilling out of the corners of her eyes and down her face. “He said he would.”

Moe French surely hadn’t been a name Bae had known until that afternoon, but when he’d called his papa to tell him that the florist-knight had been the one found they’d both known what it would do to her. Rumple knew how close she’d been with her father, regardless of the pain between them and he knew that she loved him dearly. A terrible sob made its way past her lips and even as she tried to regain her footing he had to hold onto her to keep her from sinking to the ground. He steadied himself as best as he could and wrapped both arms around her, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder and tears soaking through his tailored suit. She clung to him, shaking and trying to breathe through it only to find that she couldn’t.

“Maybe there’s been a mistake,” she whispered at last, and as she looked up at him he could find it in him to say that there hadn’t. Emma had identified him, as had David and anyone that had ever bought a flower in Storybrooke before.

When he didn’t answer her she wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned in, her ear pressed against his chest and he held onto her. “I’m sorry, Belle,” he whispered again. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“I want to go home. Can you just-?”

“Yes. Got everything you need?”

She tightened her grip on him again. “Yes.”

He didn’t need to tell her to hold on as the magic swirled around them, carrying them only a few blocks away to their home. It was the most he’d used in days and he was surprised that reaching in for the bare amount of magic hadn’t received the same painful warning as he’d come to expect from it. Perhaps he really was feeling better. He’d certainly need everything that he had to handle this.

Rumple had never seen her so listless as that evening. She didn’t let go of him immediately even as the swirls of magic faded away and left them alone in the house with only the sinking sun’s rays for company as the broke through the westernmost windows. When she did finally pull back, her eyes were glossed with tears and she didn’t bother wiping them. “I don’t know what to do,” she confessed softly. “Do I have to go there?”

“Not if you don’t want to. Bae said that Emma could handle anything that needed to be immediately done.”

“I don’t want to.”

He’d never seen her so avoid something and it was strange. The whole thing was strange and he was completely out of his depths. “I can make you dinner,” he offered, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

“Okay,” she breathed and let him press a brief kiss to her forehead before wandering her way up the stairs. He watched her go before turning to the kitchen.

He was halfway through making the spaghetti when he heard the old pipes sounding the alert that she’d turned the bathwater on upstairs. He was nearly done when Bae finally made it home, looking more worn than he had since he’d come home.

“How is she?”

Rumplestiltskin grimaced as he finally gave up and flicked his hand, the ingredients that had all been cooked disappearing from their places and coming together on three plates on the table. He didn’t have the patience for it anymore.

“Have you talked to her?”

“She knows, if that’s what you’re asking.”

It was Bae’s turn to cringe now. “That’s not what I meant, Papa. I just meant… I don’t know.”

“Neither do I,” his father admitted quietly. “She’s been there for me through more than just this. Any time I’ve needed her, Belle’s there with all the strength and the courage that anyone could ask for. When she needs someone to do the same for her…. Well, then she’s stuck with me. I don’t know how to help her.”

“You can’t fix everything, Papa,” Bae murmured. “Sometimes you just have to be there and hold the person’s hand, you know? She couldn’t - she _can’t_ \- fix what you’re going through. She’s just there when you need her.”

“Belle’s a lot braver than I am.”

“If you love her as much as you say you do, then maybe it’s time to figure out how to be brave for her.”

Rumple paused halfway to the table, and turned to look at his son. He was a man now, with all the enlightenment of someone who had lived through hell time and time again. His expression held no room for squirming around the truth of his words and they hit hard so that he found himself nodding in agreement. “Thank you,” he managed, reaching out to Bae and his son squeezed his hand. “I needed that.”

The younger man offered the barest of smiles. “I know.”

“Eat what you can and leave it. I’ll clean it up,” Rumple murmured as he took two plates, a light spell wrapping around his ankle to give it enough support so that he could make it up the stairs without his cane. He’d pay for it later, but it was a price he could take.

Bae didn’t argue with him and he eased his way up one step at a time. The water had long since stopped and he pushed the bedroom door open with his shoulder. “Belle?” he called softly.

The sound of someone standing hastily and water shifting in the tub met his ears and he set the plates down on the side table and waited, calling his cane to him to lean on, fiddling with the handle for something to do. Something inconsequential to focus on.

Belle came out a few moments later, dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of sleeping shorts. She looked so worn, so beaten down and he realized in that moment just how much she’d given to him since he’d returned. Just how much she’d sacrificed so that she could be there for him.

“I brought you dinner,” he murmured, the words sounding silly even as they left his mouth.

“I see that,” she answered and took a seat on the bed. “I’m not really hungry.”

The plates were gone then and she let a small, empty smile tug her lips. “I don’t know what to feel right now, Rumple.”

He sat with her, one arm going around her shoulders and she leaned into him, holding on. They sat in silence, her tears coming and going, until she finally fell asleep with her head against his shoulder and he eased her onto her side of the bed. Carefully, as to not wake her, he curled up next to her and she gripped his hand, but he didn’t dare sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Belle says goodbye to her father and Rumple finds answers.


	16. Chapter 16

Baelfire found himself wide awake at two that morning with a dream he couldn’t quite remember. He was sitting straight up in the bed he’d chosen in his papa’s house in Storybrooke, sweat soaking through his t-shirt and he let out a long breath, clips of the dream pushing through to his consciousness. He forced it aside and swung his legs over the side of the bed, bare feet meeting the expensive carpet below.

Those same feet carried him down the hall almost as if they had a will of their own. The door to his father and Belle’s room was cracked open, but no light could be seen. Maybe, if they were lucky, they’d both be exhausted enough to actually get a night’s sleep. The theory seemed less and less likely as he descended the stairs and found the kitchen lights on and the door unlocked that led outside.

He followed the trail - never quite sure it was really a trail -  until he reached the basement entrance. He could see the lights on through the small windows that nearly sunk into the ground and as he neared the door he could hear the steady sound of a spinning wheel. That was the sound that he’d been lulled to sleep by more nights than he could remember in his childhood and something about it now helped to push the darkness of his dream back. He eased the door open and it stopped immediately as his father startled.

“Bae, what are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He didn’t look like he’d slept at all that night.

“I didn’t want to wake Belle,” he murmured, confirming Bae’s suspicions.

His son moved into the basement and pulled a chair up to sit with him. He saw the piles of gold that his magic had produced through the wheel and thought about how _that_ had certainly not been associated with most of his childhood memories. “Haven’t seen you spin much since you’ve been back.”

“Zelena kept a wheel in the cage. I used it to focus in when… Well, before…” He blinked at it, his hands moving to the wheel to start it again. It creaked, showing its age, and Bae realized it was the old one from their home in the Frontlands.

“Before I got out of your head,” the younger man attempted to joke and Rumplestiltskin only nodded, focused on the work again. The wheel had been old when he was a child and there’d been many a day that his father had tinkered with it, repairing this part or the other. They certainly hadn’t had the money in those days to buy anything newer, and his papa wouldn’t have wanted it. This one had been a gift from the women that had raised him and he’d been so careful with it in all of Bae’s memories.

“I just needed to push past the initial association my mind was making. She tried to take so much, but I won’t let her keep a damn thing.”

“You think she’s really gone?”

“Yes.”

Bae reached out and stopped the wheel as it began to spin faster. “Papa?”

“Yes, she’s gone,” his father answered tightly, his eyes shifting to meet Bae’s. “I made sure of it, Bae. To bring you back. To keep you safe.”

_Do you feel safe son?_

Baelfire’s hand moved from the wheel to Rumple’s and held on. “I’m safe, Papa,” he promised and squeezed. “We’re safe.”

“Not quite yet. I hear that Midas’ daughter remembered enough to know that her attacker was male. It may not be Zelena, but there’s someone out there and… Well it needs to be stopped.”

This determination to right the wrongs was new, and yet it wasn’t. As a spinner, Rumplestiltskin had been too frightened, too powerless to change much of anything for the better, and as the Dark One his curse often prevented him for caring to - except when it came to those he loved and slowly but surely that very small circle was widening. Bae knew his father had always loved him, even if the curse had distorted that terribly, but then there’d been Belle. Henry had come next and he’d wager that Emma had even found her way in somehow. He’d been bored enough to be willing to help with the murders before, but it had become personal when Belle’s father had fallen victim to it.

“Emma said you and Moe didn’t get along too well,” he murmured after a few moments.

“Oh no. We hated each other,” his papa answered easily. “He thought I was keeping Belle against her will and I… Well I haven’t much patience for ignorance when it can be helped. He was a blubbering fool, but she loved him.”

“We’ll find this guy."

Something dangerous flashed through his father's eyes. "I know."

* * *

As he looked out at the crowd of people gathered Henry decided that he'd been to far too many funerals in his relatively short life. He hadn't had his memories back for his dad's funeral - thankfully it hadn't been necessary in the end after all - and he only vaguely knew Thomas, but his gramps was friends with him, so he'd been expected to be there.

He had known Moe French though. Everyone in Storybrooke knew Moe French. He was a little gruff, a little irritable at times, but he'd always brought some if the prettiest flowers to his school that Henry had ever seen. The fact that he'd been Belle's father set that uncomfortable ache just a little deeper.

His dad had come by Granny's that morning - Mom was procrastinating on finding another place to stay and it was about to drive him nuts - and they'd walked over to the graveyard together. He'd never seen his dad in a suit before. He'd missed the last one as he'd been looking for any clues he could find to catch the killer. As far as anyone would tell him, there was still nothing.

While everyone in town knew Moe, the crowd that had gathered was most certainly for Belle. She was off to the right, Henry’s grandpa at her side and silent, and she thanked every person that came in. Her eyes were rimmed red, but she had a sort of strength about her that the teen knew couldn’t be faked. It was the kind that let you keep going no matter how bad the pain was and urged you on when you felt like you couldn’t take another step.

“Come on, kid,” Emma urged and he pulled in a deep breath. His mom moved forward and Belle wrapped her arms around her neck in a tight hug, murmuring something in her ear before turning to him.

He didn’t know what to say. He knew how much it hurt to lose a father - twice over, in fact - but he’d gotten him back both times. It didn’t look like Belle would be quite so lucky. If there was a way to make her smile, any way at all, he was sure his grandpa would have already done it. The fact that she was still crying meant that even the notorious Dark One could do nothing to set things right.

Belle offered him a smile even though her tears. “Hey you,” she greeted.

“Hey.” He hadn’t planned it - in all honesty, he didn’t know Belle all that well, even though he was certain he wanted to - but he found himself stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. He felt her return the embrace.

“Thank you, Henry,” she whispered into his hair before releasing him and he had to let her go then. There were other people that she needed to speak to, but as he looked back he caught his grandpa’s eye and the man he’d known as Mr Gold for more years than he hadn’t offered him a small, tired smile.

“You’re going to catch this guy, right, Mom?”

Emma looked over at him, startled by the question. “We’re going to try, Henry.”

“You need to catch him.”

“We’ll get him, buddy,” his dad answered as he pulled him into a side hug. “We promise. Between your two grandpas, your mom, and me, we’ll find him and we’ll stop him.”

Henry nodded. If anyone could catch this person, it was his family.

* * *

Rumplestiltskin had never done well with funerals. He’d been to enough in his little village for the men that died in the Ogres War that he was certainly well acquainted with the older rituals - he’d stood at the back, of course, because no one wanted the village coward too close to the honoured dead - and he’d lived long enough to watch those old rituals melt into new ones as human life extinguished. As a mortal he’d felt very small standing at the back of the crowd, often clutching Bae’s hand in his own and watching them light the pyres, the smoke rising in the air to fuel the terrible red in the sky even away from the battles. The heat had felt like truth closing in around him: lives ended and time stopped for each person, no matter how hard you fought it. Lives certainly ended quicker for them in that place.

His mortality had washed away when he’d taken on the Dark One’s curse, but he could feel that same suffocating feeling take hold of him that day and he thought it might have had more to do with his fear for those around him now. His love, his son, his grandson… None of them would be safe if they didn’t put an end to all of this. Blue was still wholly convinced that the deaths were linked to the opening of the vault and the pessimist in Rumple reminded him that it would be right along the lines of everything that happened in his life. He took on a curse to save his son and the curse drove Bae away. He then spent three hundred years trying to get him back only to lose him again. He ripped apart the worlds to hold on and that effort to cling to his own happiness may have cost Belle hers. He pushed the thought away. The vault was closed. It had been closed since the day Bae had come up from it.

Dark eyes flickered to his left where she stood, fingers intertwined in his own as someone spoke at the open grave and he realized he was no better than the spinner standing at the back of the crowd. He couldn’t stop fate and every time he tried those he loved most paid the high price for his desperate attempts. He wasn’t a good man, he knew, but that didn’t mean those around him needed to suffer as well.

She squeezed his fingers in her own and took a step forward to take part in a ritual he recognized as one of those replacements to the old. They’d burned their dead in Frontlands after the war, but sometime within the next three hundred years this had become a widespread tradition of each person tossing a bit of dirt over the closed casket. He even took part in it when she asked him to - not with words, Belle had a unique talent for speaking with those beautiful eyes - and then faded back, not wishing to be seen any more than he had as the mortal spinner. He stood with her, though, and he could at least feign being strong for her. Not for the first time he found himself acknowledging that she deserved so much better than he could give.

Rumplestiltskin didn’t recognize the song that started with only a few of the people there and he realized very slowly that it must have been from Belle’s home. Those that didn’t know it remained silent as the wind carried the few voices and swept the words up into the sky until they were finished, leaving only a sad sort of humming until people began to move, speaking lowly with each other. They’d move to Granny’s, he knew, as that seemed to be the gathering point for every event good or bad. He’d expected that they were ready to part for that when Belle suddenly released his hand and a name that he wouldn’t have expected to have ever heard again left her lips.  “Gaston.”

The knight looked just as he had when Rumple had swept her away as his collected price that day so many years ago. The dark haired man offered a grim expression that might have been his own attempt at a smile and he reached a hand out for her, comfort in his motions. “Belle, it’s been too long. Your father said you’d been brought through.”

“Yes, he’d mentioned you had this time as well,” she answered and caught Rumple before he could find a decent escape. He didn’t want to handle this now. He didn’t want to play nice, though he knew he should. “Gaston, you remember Rumplestiltskin.”

Gaston’s eyes widened a bit as recognition set in and Rumple shoved down the desire to give into his curse and toy with the man he’d once taught a rather lengthy lesson to. “You… look different,” the knight managed.

“As do you,” Rumplestiltskin answered in return and made his decision, much to the chagrin of his own darker desires. He shuffled his cane into his left hand to extend his right in a sign of peaceful greeting. Belle, to his knowledge, had never known what became of his former fiancee, but the younger man certainly remembered and he looked more than a little uncomfortable even as he accepted the gesture.

Magic flared up around him even as he dropped the handshake and he stiffened. The others were starting for Granny’s now, just as he thought they would, and he could feel the source of the warning off in the distance. His gaze met Belle’s own worried one and he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll meet you there,” he promised, a silent and invisible spell produced from the kiss. He would know if she was in any danger and nothing terrible could touch her.

Belle did not look convinced. “Rumple…”

“I’ll be right along,” he urged and pulled her hand up to his lips to press another kiss there. “Trust me?”

“Of course,” she answered instantly. “Be careful.”

He offered her a brief smile. Gaston, fool though he was, was at least a gallant fool. He would escort her there and the spell would keep her safe. Still, he leaned forward, his lips close to her ear to speak directly to her. “If you need me, call.”

She gave a small sound that might have been a laugh on any other day. “We don’t even know if that works in Storybrooke.”

“For you, I’d wager it works anywhere.”

Rumplestiltskin did not stay to give any further explanation to either Belle or his son who was likely to notice his absence quickly. He was gone when he was sure that all backs were turned, fading from view even without the show of smoke and reappearing at the treeline where he had felt the presence. It was darker than anything he’d expected to come near Storybrooke, but he was certain that it must be the person that they were after.

The presence remained, but nothing visible met his eye as he looked around. His magic reached out cautiously, but when he felt the strength beginning to return in it it he pushed harder, allowing the spell to snake in and around the trees until a voice cut his search short. “Quite a show you put on for them.”

He didn’t jump, but he did have to push down the jab of surprise that accompanied the words. Rumple turned, sure that he had imagined it, but the owner of the impossible voice was smirking at him, leaned up against a tree in an almost lazy sort of manner. He looked different, though not entirely, with his hair neater than he remembered and a little less ragged. The voice was the same, though. The voice had worked its way into his dreams for years after he’d taken on his curse. After he’d stolen the power.

“Zoso,” Rumple breathed.

“Surprised?” Zoso asked, straightening and taking a step forward. “I should expect you to be. Last you and I met in the land of the living, you put a dagger into my chest. Kept it well?”

“Well enough,” Rumplestiltskin answered cautiously.

The elder man chuckled. “It’s fun, isn’t it, to play-pretend to be one of them? They’re so easily fooled. So easily swayed to believe it, especially when you take on their appearance. They don’t understand anything at all.”

His magic - his curse - was wailing a warning like Rumple had never felt before. It was enough to topple him but he refused to let it show. Instead he offered a casual shrug. “They believe what they will,” he answered, dark eyes coming to rest on the grey-haired man.

“I paid the pretty one a visit the day I killed her father. Beautiful woman. I’d love to have a go at her, wouldn’t you?” Rumple must have let something through his mask because the other grinned broadly at him. “Or perhaps you have already. She works in the shop you keep here, hmm? You don’t need to continue to lie to her to get what you want, or haven’t you learned anything in your time? Let her see exactly what you are and she’ll fall to her knees at your feet. You can do what you wish with her. The pleading makes it all the better.”

Time for a change of subject before he went against his better judgement. “You’re dead.”

“So are you, but that doesn’t really matter, does it. The Dark One has life eternal.”

“The curse doesn’t die out, but once it leaves you you’re nothing more than a man. I killed you.”

“Yes you did,” Zoso answered, seeming more pleased than perturbed by the statement.

The warning continued to scream in his mind. “What do you want?”

“Oh, I’m not after you, Rumpelstiltskin. You did me quite a favour in taking the curse. I was under someone else’s control. It’s a terrible place, really. The burden of slavery is one that even my darkened soul wouldn’t wish on anyone else. Not for too long, anyway.” There was a terrible glint in his eye as he continued to watch him. “Tell me, why do you put up with those insufferable fools? I’ve barely been able to stomach them at any given meeting for more than a few moments before ripping their throats out.”

His mind whirled for an answer that would suit, but he couldn’t produce it before his heart froze in his chest. “Papa?”

Zoso’s lips stretched. “You did it,” he chuckled. “Well look at that. The boy became a man.”

Bae stiffened as the elder Dark One flashed out of existence and reappeared directly in his face. “So that is who you are and that’s why he risked opening the vault to pull you out.”

Rumplestiltskin took a solid step between Bae and his predecessor without a word, feeling his magic gather around him to be used if needed.

The elder man snorted. “A fool suffers fools easily enough, I suppose. All the power you’ve collected and I still see that frightened spinner in your eyes, Rumplestiltskin. What a waste. You don’t deserve that power. You should remember the advice I gave you in the vault, or someone might decide to take it from you.”

Then he was gone, leaving the area distinctly colder than it had been and Rumple remained where he was for several long moments, reaching out with both his magic and his Sight to feel for an impending attack. When he was sure there was none, he turned back to Baelfire who was staring at him with confusion clearly etched into his features. “Who the hell was that?”

“Zoso.”

“You mean the guy you killed? The one you took the Dark One’s curse from?”

“One in the same,” his father sighed.

“Hell, Papa,” Bae breathed out and his mind must have been whirling as much as Rumple’s. “He got through the open vault.”

“It must have been immediately after we left. That’s the only time he could have.”

“He’s the murderer.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Rumplestiltskin sighed. “He’s feeding the curse. He’s given completely into the darkness and he’s feeding it at every chance that presents itself.”

“What are you saying, Pop? You’ve done some dark things, especially in the beginning, but you didn’t-”

He couldn’t meet Bae’s eyes. They were still staring in such utter horror at the idea. “I fought it. Not all the time and probably not as much as I should have, but I fought it.”

“You could never be like that,” he murmured softly, but Rumple wasn’t sure that it was a statement and not a question.

“I could.” He forced his gaze to meet his son’s. “If I lost you and Belle. I could be much worse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Rumple takes a leap of faith and goes against his better judgement.


	17. Chapter 17

His immediate reaction was to set on the problem alone, and he might have done it had Bae not wandered into the conversation before he had it entirely under control. Zoso had been looking for an alliance. Rumplestiltskin had been called to too many deals in which someone with a great amount of power wanted to join forces with him for something or the other to not know the intention when it was staring him in the face. The former - other? - Dark One had seen his immediate reaction to risk himself for his son as a weakness. It was a general misconception amongst most dark sorcerers that love was weakness, so really Rumple couldn’t be too surprised, but without being able to set his board the way he wanted it before Zoso found out, the game wasn’t as nicely rigged as he’d prefer it. He needed to get it that way and he needed to get there fast. Bringing the do-gooders of Storybrooke into a plan that hadn’t even begun to take shape was a bad idea and he knew it.

Bae _had_ walked in though and while his son wouldn’t betray his confidence, it was obvious enough what he thought his papa should do, which tied his hands a bit.

He and Baelfire walked into Granny’s and with the barest of movements everyone froze in exactly what they were doing. Ruby was halfway to a table full of dwarves with a whole tray of beer, Granny was yelling at someone in the kitchen, and even Blue was stuck where she was at, though she seemed to be fully aware that she was and glaring furiously.

“To those of you that _can_ move, may I have a moment?” Rumplestiltskin called out, receiving several wide, confused looks from the likes of David, Mary Margaret, Emma, Henry, and even Belle. He offered a smirk in Blue’s direction. “Don’t worry, dearie. You’re not needed.”

“Rumple, what’s going on?” Belle asked as she looked up at where Gaston had been caught in a rather unflattering pose with his mouth hanging widely open.

He moved over to her, catching her hand in his own and leaning down to speak quietly into her ear. “Of all the many things that I’ve done in the time you’ve known me, this is the one I must beg your forgiveness for,” he whispered and she turned frightened blue eyes up to meet his own dark ones.

“What’s happened, Rumple?”

“I’ll tell you in a moment, but please… know that if I’d known this would be the outcome I would have prepared for it and stopped it. Please believe me in that.”

He knew that he should have taken her aside first and explained everything, but if he didn’t act now then that quiet dark voice in his mind that kept reminding him how this could turn out - namely that if he put his trust in these people that they could utterly and fully betray him - would win out and he’d deal with Zoso by himself. That’s not what Bae wanted, and he’d wager that’s not what Belle would want either, if she knew what was happening. Rumple motioned and all those that he had released followed him into the back hallway that led to the inn, confusion evident on each face. The Dark One stopped, turned, and motioned back into the diner. “You too, please. I’m afraid I might need your assistance in all of this.” The last words were truly forced out as Archie found himself suddenly able to move and nearly fell to the ground. He joined them though, adjusting his glasses and looking around as if any of them could answer the unasked question.

“I do believe we may have found our culprit lurking about.”

Belle went white in the face and he felt a pang of guilt at his own bluntness. Her voice was just one of many that suddenly leapt up, though, and he rolled his eyes and everyone went silent with another well placed spell.

“Thank you,” he said as if they’d had any choice. “Now, as I was saying, we have a bit of a problem on our hands. Don’t give me that look, Charming, I’m bringing it to you first off, though I would appreciate if you let me handle Blue separately with all of this.” He waited for a nod from each of them before he let a long breath out. He felt Bae’s hand on his shoulder, urging him on. This truly was against his better judgement. “The vault is the issue. It did let something through, just not Zelena.” His eyes met Belle’s and the apology was still there, though he knew it could never be enough. He only hoped that she could bring herself to believe in the sincerity of it.

The spell was released and Charming was the first to speak. “You said nothing came through when we were out there.”

“The window of time that it could have happened in and not given clear signs was so small I didn’t even think it was possible,” Rumple explained slowly.

Regina, who he hadn’t bothered to freeze upon entrance, narrowed her eyes at this. “What about equal exchange? Did someone get too close?”

“The length it stayed open may have been part of the price for bringing something like that into this land.” Everyone turned, surprised that it was Belle’s voice and not Rumple’s explaining that piece of the puzzle. She reached out to him, fingers touching his hand before taking hold. “You couldn’t have known.”

Inexplicable relief rushed through him. He didn’t deserve her.

“Okay, so what do we do with it?” Robin asked as he repositioned himself on the crutch he’d been using to get around that day. “What’s come through?”

Rumple held Belle’s hand, not caring at this point that his need to hold onto her was evident for anyone looking. “His name is Zoso. He’s my predecessor as the Dark One.”

“You mean you killed him?” Regina asked.

“I did. Strangely enough, that doesn’t seem to be his issue. While personal vendettas are certainly not out of the question, as I explained to Bae earlier, that doesn’t seem to be what’s going on. He’s  reacting like someone who’s just taken the Dark One’s curse on. He’s feeding it and it’s certainly feasting in return. If he continues to provide this level of darkness to it he’ll keep growing in power, but not in control.”

“Wait, you’re saying that he has the Dark One curse too?” Mary Margaret asked, finally setting Leo’s carrier in a chair. “I thought there was only one. Shouldn’t there be only one?”

“There is. There’s supposed to be. Death is the only known cure for the curse, but to kill the Dark One, the person doing the killing takes on that curse.”

“So you … killed your predecessor?” Archie managed.

“He quite literally asked for it.”

“What if someone who was very good took on the curse? Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad,” Charming asked and Rumple resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Are you volunteering, dearie?”

“It doesn’t matter how good the intentions are,” Bae cut in before his father could continue goading the prince any further to ease some of his own tattered nerves. “Even the best of men lose themselves.”

Rumplestiltskin couldn’t quite meet his son’s or anyone else’s eyes after that statement. “Killing him would only transfer the curse.”

“I thought all curses could be broken,” Mary Margaret ventured.

“True Love’s Kiss could,” Belle murmured. “We know it does.”

This conversation was becoming increasingly less and less comfortable and it had started out well in the red to begin with. “Well,” he answered airily, “considering the curse really doesn’t allow for light at all, much less love, I think we’d be hard pressed to find that and make that work.”

“But you love me,” Belle persisted.

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

“I…” He stopped, staring at her and feeling all eyes on him in return. He was different, wasn’t he? He’d really never had anything to compare it to, necessarily, but with seeing Zoso it was as if the knowledge was just there. Heaven help them all, but compared to this man he was a bloody burst of light.

“It makes sense,” Bae murmured. “You took on the curse for me, not for yourself. It started out of love.”

“So killing him and finding someone to kiss him are out,” Regina groused. “Anyone else have a grand idea?”

“We could trap him like we did Rumplestiltskin,” Mary Margaret offered, shooting an apologetic look at the man himself.

Rumple shrugged. “Won’t work. Even if I could dig up some squid ink in my shop - and I’m not sure any came over this time, I haven’t exactly had loads of time to go through everything - it would be temporary. I hate to break it to you, Missie, but that cage your dwarves and faires made held me because I wanted to be there.”

“I hate to ask an obvious question, but how far does immortality really go here?” Emma asked, leaned against the wall. “The Enchanted Forest I get. Shoot you in the head and you’d laugh and walk away, but this is the Land Without Magic right?”

“Did you miss the part where the smoke rolled in and magic came to Storybrooke?” Rumple deadpanned and received a stern look from Belle for his efforts.

Emma rolled her eyes. “I was too busy trying to save my son’s life after you took off with the cure to a sleeping curse.”

Bae quirked an eyebrow and his father raised his hands defensively, gesturing to Henry. “He’s fine. He was always going to be fine.”

Henry, for all it was worth, let out a heavy sigh.

“Digging up the past is not going to help protect the future,” Archie said sensibly. “You’d said that I could help in some way?”

“Yes,” Rumple answered as if he’d completely forgotten about him. “Right.”

“This was actually my idea,” Bae offered when the elder man didn’t actually say anything by way of answering the question. “When we spoke with Zoso, he told Pop to remember what he said to him in the vault, but he doesn’t remember what that is. He doesn't remember anything about being in the vault.”

“You were hoping I could help him reach those memories.”

“Yes.”

The therapist nodded slowly. “If you’re willing, I’m happy to try.”

“I might be able to find them with a spell, but it’s lengthy and rather taxing,” Rumplestiltskin grumbled, waving a hand in Archie’s generally direction.

“At your convenience then.”

“And the rest of us will start bouncing around ideas to try to come up with a solid plan,” Charming said with that terrible _we can do it_ sound to his voice. He reached out, putting a hand on Rumple’s shoulder. “Thank you for coming to us with this. I know how hard it must have been-”

Rumple’s nose turned up and he squirmed out from under his grip. “Yes yes,” he groused. “Harder by the minute, I assure you.”

“And that’s when we call it a night,” Belle said from behind, but he could hear the very smallest amounts of amusements under the carefully constructed disapprovement to his actions. “It’s been a long day and tomorrow will be so much longer. Archie, what do you say we drop by first thing?”

“That’s not-” Rumple tried, but one look shut him down.

“Perfect,” Archie answered.

He was losing his touch. Instead of setting up all the pawns in their places with carefully hidden knowledge at all the right places he’d just shown all of his cards. This was Bae’s and Belle’s approach, though. He loved them, so he was willing to give it a try. He could salvage it before it all went too much to hell.

* * *

****  
  


She was convinced that the two nights between her father’s death and his funeral that Rumple had reached into his ability to see the future to predict when she was going to have a nightmare. She didn’t wake screaming as he did, but there were plenty of sudden jolts and terrifying things to fill her dreams. The very worst took place in the castle in which she had grown up in where she found her mother’s garden in the wrong place - somehow her mind had put it in the middle of her father’s audience chamber - and she’d been picking roses there, the colour washing off of the beautiful flowers in great weaves, turning thick like blood, and swallowing her and the whole room up. She’d tried to cry out for Rumple, but found that the blood filled her lungs like water did a person a drowning and she’d startled awake, finding his dark eyes staring at her in the night. He hadn’t even pretended to be asleep, simply pulled her close and let her cry into his chest.

When she woke in the mornings, though, he was already gone and she hadn’t heard him dream once in those two nights. Her bet was on that he wasn’t sleeping again, but there was a smaller possibility that he’d simply cast some spell on himself so that his cries weren’t heard. That was not too far out of the realm of possibilities either.

He’d been quiet since they’d returned and he was sitting on the bed now, eyes fixated on a painting on the wall. She thought his gaze might actually burn through the picture when she’d left and returned to find him unmoved, stopping directly in front of him and standing there until he blinked and looked up at her. She held up two empty glasses in one hand and a very full bottle of wine in the other.

“Are we revisiting alternate personalities tonight?” he attempted to joke, but the tease fell flat from him.

Belle smiled anyway. “I do believe that that would require something a bit stronger than we tend to keep in the house.” She set the glasses down on the bedside and tossed the bottle to the bed. He made a small sound of surprise when she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. He didn’t argue, but he certainly didn’t seem to expect it as it took him a moment to let one hand wander to the side of her face as they fell back against the bed, never breaking the kiss.

They’d been so caught up in this disaster and that, and it had hit her as she’d stood staring at the fridge, thinking that she was going for a bottle of water and choosing the bottle of wine instead. The chaos was never going to end. She was in love with the Dark One. They needed to live then, in that very moment, or they’d never live at all. If they were afraid of what was around each and every turn, afraid of losing someone else they loved they would only fulfil their own fears. She needed him to know she didn’t blame him. She needed him to know, above everything else, that she loved him and that she needed him more than ever.

The kiss had grown more desperate and she didn’t know which one had started down that path. His hands were in her hair and hers were working at buttons. Damn the man and his layers. He didn’t seem to care that she was putting so much effort into it as he shifted, flipping her over so that she was on her back and he was leaned over her. They broke finally and she found him staring into her eyes, all the walls crashing down and there was so much emotion there. Pain and love and desperation and heartbreak. There was too much to ever hope to decipher. It rolled off of him in waves and he tipped over, landing next to her as they lay the wrong way across the bed.

“I love you,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and threatening to give on him. “I’m sorry.”

Belle propped herself up enough so that she could kiss him again. “I meant it. I don’t blame you. You couldn’t have known, no matter what your abilities are.“ His eyes slid closed as her hand rested against his face, thumb traveling along one sharp cheekbone and into his hair. He didn’t flinch away this time, but instead leaned into her touch.

He pulled her back down and her free hand continued working its way down over the half-buttoned vest until he tensed beneath her, breaking the kiss to draw in a sharp intake of breath and his eyes flew open, every muscle tight and she immediately moved away. “What did I do?” Belle managed.

Rumplestiltskin’s hand had gone to his ribs, over the place where her own hand had just been and he winced at it.

“You’re still hurt?” she whispered. He should have been healed by now. He should have been healed ages ago. As long as he had access to magic his curse never let injuries remain for a length of time and even the magical burns from the shop’s explosion should have faded by now.

“No, no,” he breathed. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

He hardly sounded it as he was cringing away from her touch, but she wouldn’t let him run. For a very different reason now her fingers moved to undo the buttons of his vest and then his shirt, pulling it back to reveal smooth skin beneath. “Drop it,” she said sternly, and if he’d been ready to argue with her he must have thought better of it and the glamour fell.

No fresh injuries showed, and the place that had caused him sudden pain seemed to be the long scar she’d seen on his first night back. It snaked around along the length of his ribcage. The wound must have been deep and painful, jagged in some parts, and he refused to look at her when she risked a glance to his face. Tentatively she reached forward, fingers ghosting over the spot and he let out a low hiss of pain. “I don’t understand,” she admitted softly. “It’s a scar.”

A low, humourless chuckle left him. “From my own blade.”

Belle remembered thinking as much when she’d seen it the first time. She knew, as a theory, that to kill a Dark One that one must stab them in the heart with the Kris Dagger that bore their name, but she had no idea what his dagger used anywhere else would have caused. “Why does it still hurt?”

Rumple shifted, the pain seeming to have faded once she was no longer touching the spot. “It doesn’t most of the time. I think… it goes back to what I said at the diner: the curse doesn’t allow light in. You and I… if it had its way we wouldn’t be. You’re my light, Belle, and the wounds left on me by that dagger are filled with darkness like you’d never be able to imagine.”

“I’m sorry.”

He tried for a smile and she knew it was for her benefit. “It’ll fade, like all wounds do in time.”

“You said it doesn’t want us to be together… your curse.” It wasn’t a question, but she knew he’d understand.

“I think the Dark One’s curse prefers staying with the same host for centuries like it has with me. It grows… Well as fond as it can. It would have fought harder if you’d come earlier. Though now… Well, I get my way in a few things and it gets its way in a few.”

Belle couldn’t help a laugh that escaped. “That’s strange.”

“Mm. Most things are with me.”

“I know.”

He heaved a heavy sigh and sat up, reaching for the glasses and calling the wine bottle to his hand. Somehow he’d undone the cork without her ever seeing it and he was pouring the glasses, handing her one and lifting his own to touch them together.

“To our odd little world,” Belle said softly. “As strange as it is, it’s ours.”

The smile turned real then and he nodded. “To our odd little world.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Rumple searches for his lost memories from the vault while David searches for a way to handle the new threat.


	18. Chapter 18

Emma took a long sip of her coffee, feeling the hot liquid burn her tongue and wash all the way down her throat. According to Mary Margaret, David had been up half the night, bent over the kitchen table and working on different ideas on containment for this new Dark One - what the hell kind of lives did they live? - even though Gold had clearly said that nothing would contain him for very long. She was still a fan of trying to put a bullet between his eyes. That seemed like the quickest method, and they didn’t know for sure that it wouldn’t work. Sure, Gold was resilient, but she had managed to _not_ shoot him yet, so they didn’t know the effects of a bullet on the Dark One for sure. Though after his obnoxious freeze and silence spell the day before, the idea of taking a shot at him was creeping up on her again for the first time in a while.

David had called first thing, asking her to come over to the sheriff’s office where he was meeting “a few people” to discuss. She’d assumed, since they’d all agreed to keep things quiet for now to avoid outright panic at the idea of another Dark One lurking about, that the few people he’d referred to would have been in the impromptu meeting Gold had called at the diner. She knew for sure Mary Margaret wouldn’t be there - she had taken on Henry’s study time while they were in Storybrooke and he’d gone over to the old apartment - but she hadn’t expected Blue or Leroy to be there, and from the looks of it they were the only two he’d called besides her. Gold was going to be pissed.

“Good morning, Emma,” Mother Superior - or Blue or whoever she was - said sweetly and the blonde took another long swig of her coffee. Gold was going to be beyond pissed.

“Morning. So, are we not waiting on Gold like planned…?”

“Rumplestiltskin would have us waiting until Zoso destroyed all of Storybrooke,” the Blue Fairy answered, her head tilted up. Her voice was still sugary sweet, but there was something lying just below the layers of glitter. Emma was starting to see why Regina didn’t like her.

She stepped over closer to her father and caught his eye quickly enough that he leaned down so she could speak directly into his ear. “Thought we all agreed he’d talk to her. He’s not going to be happy.”

“We needed her help. He’ll understand.”

“Yeah. Are we talking about the same man?”

“I knew,” Blue cut in, not bothering to hide the fact she’d been listening to what was obviously a private conversation. “Your father didn’t have to tell me, child.”

“We’ve been working on a cage like the one that held him in the mines,” David continued, showing her the blueprints.

“You mean the one that we found out he could have escaped from at any time? Fantastic.”

“He wants you to think he could have, but that doesn’t mean he could have broken down our construction,” Leroy put in. “We don’t have everything, but we’ve got the specs for something that should work nicely, even here.”

Emma didn’t understand most of the notes that were jotted down, but she did understand that these three were in over their heads. Gold might be obnoxious, irritating, and really deserve a good punch in the face at least every other day, but he knew his own curse like none of them did. Even she could acknowledge that he’d taken a step of faith in them by bringing the information directly over yesterday - she knew Neal was the reason, but the fact remained that he’d gone through with it - and this kind of thing was going to send him back into the recesses of his mind to plan and leave them the hell out of it.

The fact that she knew all of this probably should have bothered her more than it actually did.

The door to the office opened and Neal came in, looking like he was still on his first cup of coffee as well. There was that beary look she knew from years ago. It was the one that said that pretty much anything could happen and he’d stare at it with a blank sort of gaze and perhaps offer a yawn in response. Neal Cassidy had never been a morning person and it seemed like a decade and a couple of near-death experiences hadn’t fixed that.

“Hey,” he greeted, running his free hand through his grey-flecked hair. He took another sip of his coffee and his dark eyes came to rest on Blue, then Leroy, and then the drawings laid out on the table. “Ah hell,” he breathed. “Seriously? Pop’s going to be pissed.”

* * *

This was a terrible idea. Out of all the terrible ideas they could have chased after, this was the worst. What had he been thinking when he’d agreed to it? He didn’t give a damn what Zoso was referring to anymore. He’d find it on his own if he had to, but he did not want that stupid, intrusive bug fluttering about inside of his head.

“Rumple?” Belle called when she realized she’d lost him. He’d paused at the top of the stairs and she was halfway down to the office now. “Aren’t you coming? Archie expected us ten minutes ago.”

He couldn’t make himself move, all he could do was stand there and stare at her like an idiot. He didn’t want to be there and his magic had almost taken him elsewhere, and likely would have, if she hadn’t taken hold of his hand. Rumple didn’t know when she’d closed the distance, but her touch helped sooth the panic at least a little.

“You can do this,” she promised and she rested her free hand against the side of his face. “I know you can.”

“This could be nothing.”

“And it could be everything. I know you’re afraid, Rumple, but I also know that when there’s a worthy goal that you’re after that you’ll stop at nothing until you reach it.”

Belle had always claimed to have no real knowledge of magic but he was certain that if she’d ever lied in her life, it was about that. There was a magic that she worked on him that was undeniable. It was wrapped into her words that soothed his tattered soul and bolstered his courage when he was sure he had none left. It wrapped around him in a way that his own never could and though he had such great power, he’d be nothing without her. She was his strength.

“Okay,” he breathed and she squeezed his hand, tipping up on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips.

“Okay, she echoed and he let her lead him down the hall.

Rumplestiltskin remembered the man that the Blue Fairy had turned into a cricket - to help him ease his own conscious, apparently, but it seemed like an odd way of doing it if you asked him - as he was long before that. He’d come a long way, most would say, but all Rumple saw in that moment was a man fully willing to pry into something that would never be his business. This was a terrible idea.

Archie smiled widely, though there was a bit of nervousness hidden just beneath the welcome. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Archie,” Belle greeted back and Rumple didn’t know how she could be so damn chipper.

“Have they-”

“Can we just get on with it?” the Dark One snapped, not caring at all what the therapist did or didn’t have to say. He was half a second from just disappearing from the room to leave the other two staring at the place where he had been, but he’d never live that down. When Belle was through with him, Bae would realize what a disappointment his papa still was and any hopes of continuing the reconciliation that seemed to be going shockingly well would go down into the gutter.

Archie sighed. “I understand your nervous. It’s understandable. Can I get you a glass of water or would you rather just begin?”

Belle squeezed his hand and led him to the couch. “If you don’t mind,” she said as her wedged heels made a small bit of noise as she crossed the room, “we should probably dive right in. We’re supposed to meet David and the others immediately after with anything that we find.”

“Of course. Just… well, make yourself comfortable.”

That was a joke, wasn’t it? There was nothing comfortable with the situation. He- Rumplestiltskin’s mind came to a screeching halt as Belle’s hand came to the side of his face and she kissed him, lingering there until she could feel him relax a little more under her touch and then he was done in. The fear hadn’t entirely washed out of him, but it certain subsided enough to ensure his presence there. Like hell she didn’t work magic.

She took his cane from him and sat next to him so that when Archie asked him to lie back his head was against her lap. Her fingers worked their way carefully through his hair and he was pleased to find that it was soothing rather than something that pulled at his tattered nerves. He was so damned tired, even now and he felt himself start to lull even though he was not in his own bed or even a place that should allow him to be comfortable. Belle was there and that was what mattered. She wouldn’t let someone take advantage of his weaknesses.

Archie’s voice broke through the calm that Belle’s presence was bringing, but it wasn’t nearly as irritating as it usually was. Instead it just sort of drifted. “I need you to think back, Rumplestiltskin,” he said softly, “to right before Regina did away with the Dark Curse. When you defeated Peter Pan. Can you find that in your memory for me?”

Of course he could, he wanted to say, but the words didn’t quite bubble up. Instead he gave an affirmative grunt and felt Belle’s fingers linger briefly against his temple.

“Good, now follow the events. I know that they may be… harsh, but I need you to follow them until the point that you disappeared. Can you do that for me?”

“I’m right here,” Belle whispered and he felt her lips against his forehead.

He felt himself sinking suddenly and had to remind himself that it was all part of the process to keep the panic from springing forward and taking hold too tightly. He let himself float, sliding down with nothing around him on any side. It was pitch black, like all the stars had been stripped from the sky and no lamplight could be found. He wasn’t alone, he was sure, and in his hand was his dagger. He gripped it, the feel of the hilt against  his palm the only certainty he had.

“I’m here,” he whispered, but he didn’t know if Archie could hear him.

“Yes you are,” a voice said, but it most certainly didn’t belong to the cricket. Zoso appeared directly before him, invading his space in a way that forced him to take a step back. The other Dark One looked down, as if realization had crept into his mind and his gaze fell on the dagger. “What have you done?”

“Am I dead?” Rumplestiltskin managed, feeling a rush of fear.

“Of a sort,” Zoso murmured and Rumple could feel eyes watching him from the inky darkness. They didn’t make themselves known, but he could feel them. “The curse didn’t move on, did it?”

“No. I killed myself.”

“Impossible. The curse wouldn’t allow it. It would have taken something… fantastical.”

“I had to,” Rumple breathed. “I had to save them. I had to save the ones I love.”

Zoso’s laugh echoed around them, bouncing off walls that didn’t exist and causing Rumplestiltskin to cringe. “Don’t be a fool. You’re the Dark One. Dark Ones don’t find love, and if he thinks he has, it will be ripped from him. Haven’t you learned anything?”

He was fading even as Zoso said it and he could hear Belle’s voice calling his name. The feeling of drowning took him over and pulled him under. He began to thrash out against it and when his eyes popped open she was staring at him with worry clear in her expression. “Rumple? Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he gasped out. “Yes of course.”

“Did you find out what he said?”

“I think so,” he murmured, easing himself up so he was sitting. _Dark Ones don’t find love._ He needed to get to Bae immediately. Belle was protected. The spell he’d cast over her at her father’s funeral would last until someone tried to do her harm. Bae was not protected in such a way. He was a fool. He should have cast it before they’d ever gone back into town. Damn his own shortsightedness.

“Rumple?”

“We need to go.”

“But-”

“We need to go now.”

“What did he say?” Archie asked, watching the Dark One all but leap from the couch and stumble, finding his ankle less than cooperative.

“He’s going after my son.”

* * *

****  
  


The fact that Rumplestiltskin didn’t actually know for sure that that was what Zoso was planning didn’t matter. His visions had been spotty at best, feeding him only tiny bits of information and to find anything specific he had to know exactly what he was looking for and when. Reaching out across days or weeks would undo everything he’d done to put himself in working order. His magic was usable, but much of it was still tied up fixing the damage Zelena had done. The physical wounds were healed, certainly, but that didn’t mean that it couldn’t build walls to keep the dreams at bay. Those, of course, took time and a surprisingly large amount of energy, not that he’d be worth anything in this land if he couldn’t find a way to sleep.

He couldn’t run, but the pace certainly was quicker than he’d manage any other day. Belle was nearly jogging to keep up, her stride shortened by the skirt she wore and her heels scuffled across the street as they took it diagonally towards the town hall that kept the sheriff’s office in the back.

Rumple had explained in clipped phrases what he saw, unwilling to keep it from her and yet unable to fully give details. She’d heard enough from the expression she wore and she grabbed a hold of his hand as they made their way into the hall and started for the office.

Her hand wrapped in his was the only thing that held him back as his magic opened the door before his fingers could reach it and a startled dwarf and Blue turned towards him. They'd been bent over a table with Charming, all looking at some sort of drawings, and Bae sat in the corner with his head in his hand like he wanted nothing to do with the situation. Emma made a small sound off to the side, but Rumplestiltskin didn’t bother to look. His gaze turned sharply to David who had looked up, startled by the sudden entrance.

“Just couldn’t wait, could you?” Rumple’s voice was like ice, sharp and deadly calm. It was a wonder it didn’t leave thin lines of blood as it passed by them.

“We just wanted to get an early start on-”

“I’ll handle it, I said,” the Dark One snapped and at that point Belle let go of his hand. “You don’t realize what you’ve done.”

“I think he knows perfectly well what he’s done,” Blue answered primly. “Trying to keep me out of the loop was clever, Rumplestiltskin, but-”

“Is that what you think, dearie?” he asked, voice pitching up at the end and he didn’t care anymore. He was tired and he was afraid. His control was unravelling so fast that he couldn’t keep up with it, and it was being brought down by both enemies and supposed friends. The gust of power that hit as she decided to be fool enough to try to answer the rhetorical question sent her slamming into the bars of the closed holding cell hard enough that she had to have seen stars. He heard his name and somewhere off to the side he knew Bae had stood, reaching out for him but his magic picked the fairy up and repeated the action until she cried out. “Tell me, Blue, is _that_ what you think all of this was about?”

“Rumplestiltskin,” she pleaded and he saw a flicker of fear in her eyes. Let it stay. He had a point to make and he was done playing nice. He tossed her then, sending her skidding across the office floor and into the desk they’d all been so interested in. She didn’t try to stand, but the eldest fairy in the Enchanted Forest looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

“I’m not so petty,” he spat out, magic whipping around the room and one of the overhead lights sparked dangerously, taken out by the burst. “If you’d waited -” he directed at David - “I could have made sense of flickers of the future that have been littered through my dreams. When I found out that Zoso was the one that murdered those people it made more sense.” Blue cringed back when he turned his gaze on her. “Oh get up,” he growled. “That’s nothing next to what he’d do to you. I was doing you a favour, you thankless fairy. Good luck to you now. You’re in the middle of it.”

“I don’t understand,” she breathed, finally pulling herself to her feet.

“Not surprised,” he snapped.

“Why would you want to save me?”

“I don’t give a damn about saving you, dearie, but if I know you’re going to get your throat cut and can save time by avoiding the situation on whole, that’s what I’ll do.” He turned his eyes to the papers now that he’d stepped close enough to see what they were. He didn’t even have to move to lift them into the air and when the flames died off of them there was nothing left but ash. “I _told_ you you _can’t_ hold him. Useless!”

“We held _you_ ,” Grumpy growled.

“Because I wanted to be there, you witless dwarf!” He pulled in a steadying breath, feeling Belle’s hand against his shoulder, her fingers wrapping into the material in his jacket. He pulled himself away from the edge, focusing on her a moment to regain his footing.

“Told you he’d be pissed,” Baelfire said from his place.

Each breath steadied him a little more and no one had dared to speak after Bae. They watched him, waiting to see what he’d do, and Charming looked a little nervous, as if he was about to enter a fight he didn’t wish to. “You can take your hand off your damn sword. I’m not going to kill any of you today.”

David’s hand dropped. “Zoso’s going to make a go for Blue?”

“Eventually. I was trying to disrupt the flow of events, but my visions haven’t been working properly,” Rumple managed. His head was throbbing after the burst and he gripped his cane tightly, leaning against it. “You’ve brought her in now. We’ll deal with it.” He turned his gaze to Bae who stood with his hands stuffed in his pockets a few feet away.

“You done?” he asked easily and his father nodded.

“For now. A moment?”

Bae nodded and followed him into the hall, leaving the rest of them to speak lowly as they exited. He stopped, turning, and Rumple felt like he might collapse with relief. His anger had been so abrupt, so overwhelming, that for a moment it blinded him from seeing the reason he’d rushed over there in the first place: for his son. To protect his Baelfire.

He didn’t realize he was shaking until he reached forward and pulled his boy into a sudden hug. Bae returned it, his grip against him firm as he wrapped his arms around his father’s shoulders and pulled in a deep breath. “This isn’t about David telling Blue,” he murmured.

“That was,” Rumplestiltskin answered, referring the the power show. “This,” he tightened the embrace, “is about being glad you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, Papa. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I think he’s going to go after you.” His voice had come out barely a whisper and his son took a step back.

“Me? I’m nothing.”

“You’re everything.”

Bae shook his head. “I mean… I’m not threat to a major sorcerer like him.”

Rumple chuckled. “Yes you are,” he countered, “but that’s not why. He’ll go after you because you’re my son. What he told me to remember is that a Dark One doesn’t find love and if they do, it’s destroyed. I know that glint that was in his eye when he said it at Maurice’s funeral. You’re his target. Belle too, if he learns about her.”

“Okay,” the younger man said slowly, his expression calm even though he was obviously weighing options. “What’s the plan?”

“I don’t know yet. I still don’t know how to defeat him without simply spawning another Dark One. I’ll find the answer, though. Until then, I need to know you’re safe.”

“I’m not just going to hide away behind some wards that you set up, Papa. You’re not going at this alone. This guy’s not going to stop and my family lives here. I have to protect them as much as you want to protect me.”

“I know, and I’m not asking you to hide away, Bae. I… I can’t ask that, I know.”

“Then what are you asking?”

“For you to trust me.”

A lopsided grin tugged at Bae’s face and spread. He leaned in, his forehead touching his father’s and he chuckled. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I trust you.”

The words held more weight than any spell and Rumple knew that. That’s why he wrapped them up along with all of the pain and the desperation that had gone into the three centuries’ worth of searching for the man that stood with him now. The magic washed over Baelfire and he blinked against it, noticing it where no one else might. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what you’re doing,” he said softly.

Rumplestiltskin smiled. “A protection spell. Don’t… go doing anything stupid, now, because it’s not impossible to break through, but it will most certainly make harming you difficult.”

“There’s a price to everything, Papa.”

“Yes there is.”

“What’s this one?”

The smile remained and he pulled his son into another hug. “Nothing I’m not willing to pay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Emma and Bae struggle to figure out where they stand and David comes terms with the best way to handle working with Rumplestiltskin.


	19. Chapter 19

“So I’m going to throw something out there that we both know and that I’ve just never said: your dad is kind of intense.”

Baelfire tried not to let the smile that tugged at his lips pull quite as wide as it wanted to. She’d said she’d come. She had finally agreed to meet him for drinks - not lunch, not dinner, she’d been very specific that she needed a drink and that he was buying if he wanted to take her out that badly - but he’d half expected her to text last second with some sort of excuse. The fact that Emma Swan had slipped into the booth across from him probably should not have made him quite as absurdly happy as it did, but hey, life was full of things that shouldn’t be. Like him being alive to begin with. He was pretty sure his excitement at the fact that the woman he’d loved for over a decade showing to their date was probably not going to break the worlds. Probably.

“Hey, no one was turned into a snail and crushed. This is progress for him,” Bae answered with a casual shrugged.

“Thanks, Ruby,” Emma said through a laugh as Ruby set her drink down and gave a wink in Bae’s direction, mouthing _told ya_ before sauntering off. The blonde turned to look at him. “What did she tell you?”

“Hmm?” Bae tried for innocent and found that taking a long sip of his drink was probably a safer bet. Well, maybe not with the way Ruby mixed drinks.

“He thought you wouldn’t show,” the wolf girl called from behind the counter and Baelfire nearly spit his drink back out.

“Seriously?” Emma choked out like it’d been her drink nearly splattered across his front.  “There’s a crazy killer on the loose. Cut me some slack.”

He grinned despite himself and the blonde across the table from him seemed to follow his lead. Damn she had a smile. That was one of the first things he’d fallen for. He’d been ready to stop running for her back then, to settle down and hope his past never caught up with him. Then it did, and threw them back together again. Funny how life worked out.

“Just this once,” Bae said as he took another sip and grinned over the top of the glass at her.

Emma shook her head. “Sometimes I don’t think you’ve changed at all. It’s like the last fourteen years just haven’t happened for you.”

“I don’t steal cars anymore,” he offered. “Or watches. Or anything, really. I’m one of the good guys now, I guess.”

He didn’t miss the way her expression softened, her hazel eyes not quite willing to risk meeting his own dark ones. “You were always one of the good guys, Neal.” She took a long swig of her drink and a heavy sigh escaped her. “Crazy lives,” she repeated from their conversation days before.

“What? You weren’t expecting something like my dad’s curse duplicating when he opened the Vault of the Dark One?” Bae asked, his tone casual like it was the most natural conversation in the world. It pulled a laugh from her and he continued in the same manner. “I mean, it just follow your engagement to a flying monkey -”

“I never said yes!”

“- sent to keep you away by the Wicked Witch of the West and defeating my evil grandfather Peter Pan, not to mention anything else that happened _before_ I came in to Storybrooke. Pinocchio stealing my money? That’s a good one.”

Once the laughter had subsided Emma let out a long sigh. “That’s just it,” she breathed. “That’s why I didn’t want to stay. It’s one thing after another after another. We’re never safe.”

“You’re never safe anywhere, Emma. You could get mugged in Central Park or hit by a car. It’s just a different kind of danger. Trust me, if anyone gets the weirdness of the two worlds colliding, it’s me, but _knowing_ what’s coming is a whole lot better than just wondering if it’ll creep back into your world someday.”

“You’re right. Henry said something similar.”

“He’s a smart kid.”

“Gets it from you, huh?”

“Damn right.”

She smiled, risking a look at him now. “So where does that leave us?”

Bae felt his chest tighten in a good way. He’d liked Tamara - he had even thought he’d loved her until she turned out to be his grandfather’s evil minion - but there had never been _these_ feelings with her. They were the kind of feelings that could make a man reckless, that could send him barging into any danger if it meant he could be with her at the end of it. The kind that said that this was meant to be, that this was true.

He cleared his throat to make sure his voice was steadier than he actually felt. “I guess that’s up to you,” he said softly, risking a glance at her and finding her gaze solid. “You know where I stand on it all.”

“Do I?”

This startled him. “I thought you did.”

“Tell me.”

If she wanted clear and open honesty from him, he could do that. He prefered it that way, but running her off completely would be more painful than false hope. Still, she’d asked, and he pulled in a breath to steady himself for the answer. “I love you, Emma. I always have. I was stupid to leave, but if you’d… If you wanted to give it another shot, I swear to you I’ll never leave you alone again.”

The diner had cleared out by this point and only the distant sound of rustling in the kitchen answered him for several long moments. Uncertainty began to creep steadily in until she reached across the table and her fingers ghosted over his knuckles. “You guys are pretty stubborn, I guess.”

“Well, you come from a pretty long line of it yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

A small smile played on her lips. “Okay let’s risk it.”

He couldn’t stop the grin. Yes, these were most certainly those reckless kind of feelings and he couldn’t have been happier for them.

* * *

****  
  


There were a certain number of promises that had to be made to allow him to come along. First: all homework had to be done beforehand. Second: he was not to leave their sight. Third: Roland was not to get out of _his_ sight. Fourth: he needed to be careful for them both because his mom’s magic was slightly unpredictable. Fifth: he wasn’t allowed to say anything when one mom yelled at the other, no matter which one started it. Those were the rules that Henry had agreed to when Regina and Emma had said that he and Roland could come sit in on the magic lesson. The homework had been a piece of cake. He was so far ahead in the books that he’d brought with him that Mary Margaret - Grandma Snow - had given him some new ones to go over and work on. Roland was a bit more of a challenge, especially when keeping them both within view of his moms. The boy would sit for a few minutes with him, but while Henry was fully fascinating by watching the two women perform magic - okay, so Regina was performing magic, Emma was creating some sparks at the moment instead of the fireball that his adopted mom wanted her to form - Roland didn’t want to be bothered if there wasn’t something spectacular going on.

Henry reached and grabbed his shirt tail again, pulling the five-year-old back and receiving all the fury the little boy could muster for his efforts. “Stay put,” he said lowly so as not to distract from the lesson. He pulled Roland down and leaned over. “Watch. She’s going to make fire from nothing. It’ll be cool.”

“You said that hours ago,” Roland whined. “When’s she gonna do it?”

“It was like… maybe an hour ago. Maybe. Just watch.”

“I can’t focus with all the noise,” Emma snapped suddenly. “Let’s take the boys back to -”

“No, they’re good for you,” Regina countered. “If I weren’t worried you’d fry one of them by accident, I’d ask them to make more noise. Distraction is what happens. We’ve been over this.” She stopped, tilting her head. “Anyway, I don’t think they’re the ones distracting you.”

Henry watched his birth mother go red in the face. “I don’t know what-”

Regina’s lips curled upwards. “Oh, I think you do, Miss Swan. Add that to what drives you, don’t let it distract you. You love Henry, right?”

“Of course.”

“Protect him.”

“I’d give my life to protect him, you know that.”

“Fantastic. Focus that in. Then, take that new found revelation of yours about a certain someone and add it in.” She leaned in, so close that Henry had to strain to hear her words. “You want to protect your family, Emma? Prove it.”

The rustling sound behind her made Emma jump, and while Henry saw the branch flying towards her, he didn’t think she had time to register what it was. She acted on instinct, spinning around and the the limb froze in midair, holding there until she saw what it was and then all that was left it was ash once the spell was cast.

“Just like that,” Regina said approvingly.

Emma let out a long breath. “Just like that.”

“Rumple always said that magic is about emotion. It’s about harnessing it. The good, the bad, and everything inbetween. I’ve found, more recently, that love does make it stronger.”

Henry grinned broadly at this and his mom offered him a glance, matching his smile in return. Emma nodded. “Right.” Her phone buzzed and she took the call, stepping out of the way even as Henry stood and approached his adopted mother.

“When this is all over and you guys defeat Zoso, could you teach me magic, Mom?”

This seemed to startle Regina. “I thought you didn’t like magic, Henry. I seem to remember you thinking that if you set off explosions by the wishing well that it would have taken care of everything.”

The teen shrugged, glancing back to make sure Roland was still in sight. “Well, I guess I’ve learned  more since then. It’s not about the magic, it’s about the user.”

Regina smiled, pulling him into a hug that he readily returned. “We’ll talk about it after this is done and over with. As long as Emma’s not planning to take you back to New York.”

“Nah,” he answered easily. “You were talking about my dad, weren’t you? They met last night after Mom thought I was asleep. She’ll stay for him.”

“She’ll stay for you. She wants what’s best for you,” Regina pressed and it wasn’t lost on the teen how much his mom had changed for the better.

“Hey, we’re going to have to cut this short,” Emma called, waving her cell in the air. “Zoso just killed again.”

* * *

****  
  


David had been hit hard when Kathryn’s father was murdered. It was far too close for comfort, and when Maurice had been next, he knew that anyone else in their little group of allies that hadn’t felt those first effects were feeling them now. When Grumpy called to tell him that one of the dwarves had found King George dead, he didn’t know what to feel.  The man had brought him nothing but heartache to him from the moment he’d agreed to play the role of prince to slay a dragon, but his brother had called him father and something within him said that deserved something akin to responsibility. If for no other reason than to ease the guilt over the relief he felt in that they could stop looking over their shoulder for the next time he tried to attack he and Snow.

He'd just come back from identifying the body - many still saw him as the next of kin - and was currently sitting with his head in his hands, staring at the few notes left over from the Dark One's fiery outburst. Nothing would work. Rumplestiltskin had been right.

"My lord?"

David looked up, startled by the voice. "Alexander," he greeted. "What do you have?"

"No new news, my lord," the former guard turned baker said. David had brought him in in hopes he could shed some new light on the cage that they had once thought was holding the Dark One. Alexander had been the guard for the three or four month stretch that they'd imprisoned him before the Dark Curse picked most of them up and dropped them in Storybrooke. "I've spoken to both men that were tasked with keeping him as I was and nothing new can be found. If he could have escaped as you said, none of us were any of the wiser to it. If I may, are you certain that this is true?"

Alexander had missed the first curse. If it was luck or fate, David didn’t know, but it had been the one day the man had asked for a reprieve from his duties to visit his dying mother. He and Snow had granted it without a second thought, even with the foreknowledge of the coming curse. That being so, he’d missed out on many of the tentative alliances that still held over from the first round and likely even if he’d wandered into Mr Gold’s Pawn Shop he might not have recognized the Dark One that had always seemed to have a wish to drive his jailer absolutely mad. There was no reason for the prince to think that Alexander would know that it was Rumplestiltskin himself that had given the news.

"I'm certain," he said at last and sighed, shifting through the pages on the desk and continued to find nothing of use. "Maybe we could just shove him back in the vault as it disappears."

"Vault, sire?"

"While that is likely the most clever idea you've had yet, the vault is gone," a familiar voice said from the door, causing both prince and guard to turn. For half a second David thought recognition flashed across Alexander's face, but it faded to simple confusion as Rumplestiltskin limped in, cane tapping the hard floor with each step. At first glance there was a great difference between the prancing imp and the quietly calculating shop keeper, but if one took a moment they could certainly see the same man lurking in both. The imp was a facade, David had finally come to realize, and likely one of many that Rumplestiltskin could choose to hide behind. He had no doubt the elder man mocked them in his mind as quickly as he did aloud, but the show that he put on was to cover something else. Often, though, he couldn’t be sure if it was some misdeed he was planning or an insecurity he was adept at hiding.

"Completely?" David asked, almost hoping he'd misheard something, but the elder man's thin lips tugged down.

"And I'm afraid unless you have a magic bean tucked away somewhere, opening a portal at this point would be impossible."

"Capture and containment is our only option, sire."

Rumplestiltskin snorted. "Good luck to you on that. Make sure to say your goodbyes to your loved ones before embarking on _that_ idiotic venture."

Alexander bristled. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

David shot Rumplestiltskin a pleading look even as the smaller man flashed an impish grin. "Just a knowledgeable sort," he answered and strode right past his former jail keeper. “What is he doing here?”

“Alexander spent more time down in those dungeons as a guard than you did as a prisoner. I thought perhaps if anyone could find anything that might be helpful, it would be him.”

“Alexander?” Rumplestiltskin echoed, looking back and the grin had faded only to a smirk. “So _that’s_ your name, dearie. Told you I’d get it eventually.”

David watched as the former guard could could deny it no longer. “Rumplestiltskin.”

The Dark One twirled his fingers in the air in a dramatic fashion, but nothing came of it as he pulled up a chair and sat across from the blond prince, looking over the papers. He had said he’d drop by an hour before, but if he’d come by while David was at the morgue, he didn’t say so. When he did speak again, the amusement in his voice was gone and the younger man could hear just how much the pressure was weighing down on him. “Belle’s doing some research and I’ve been looking for anything that could lead us to a workable solution. This world is rather… limiting in the approaches one can take.”

“Alexander, could you give us a moment?” David asked and he met the other man’s dark eyes. Slowly, the former guard nodded and was gone, leaving them alone. He had been pushing one particular idea out of his mind to the best of his ability since the moment Rumple had confirmed that Zoso’s powers came from a duplicated Dark One’s curse. The man across the desk from him wouldn’t like it, and with everything he’d been through recently, David didn’t blame him for it. Regardless, it had to be said. It had to be voiced, if nothing else. He pulled in a breath and steadied his own courage. “There’s one option we haven’t looked at yet.”

Dark eyes flickered up. “What’s that then?”

“You said the curse has duplicated, right? It’s not that it split or anything?”

“If it had split, I wouldn’t have access to my depth of magic. My recent... health has been due to the fact that I pulled the vault through, not because anyone’s syphoned off my powers.”

“And you’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. Get to your point.”

“If the curse is duplicated, he’d have his own dagger, wouldn’t he?”

The Dark One blinked at him, a mask falling carefully into place. “Look who’s thought this through.”

“Just hear me out,” David pled. “I know you’re not going to like the idea, and I get why, but we have to at least bring it up to the others-”

“No, we don’t.”

“Rumplestiltskin-”

“You’ve thought this much of it through, Charming, now let’s work through the rest, shall we?” the older man snapped. “First you’d have to _find_ his dagger, then you’d have to _take_ it from him. Do you know how difficult it is to take the Kris Dagger from the Dark One? This is all assuming that he does, in fact, have one.”

“Zelena got yours from you.”

The terror that flashed through those eyes set guilt deep into David’s chest and he resisted the urge to reach out to him. Rumplestiltskin barely handled his presence, much less any contact. Slowly, the other man straightened his back and squared his shoulders, the mask falling back into place to cover the brief flickering of fear. “She didn’t take it. I threw it away. It was the dagger or Bae, and I made my choice.”

Well, that was unexpected. “I’m sorry.”

Rumplestiltskin waved it off. “Likely you’d be sending someone in for the slaughter if you sent them after his dagger, assuming he has one. If you go in to everyone now and spread a half-concocted plan about you’ll get them all killed.”

“Someone else died today. ”

“I heard. King George. You’re the last person I’d think would weep over him.”

David winced. “The point is that people are already getting killed. We have to do something.”

Rumplestiltskin sighed, standing slowly and leaning against his cane. After a moment he met David’s eyes directly. “When I was a young man the first Ogres War was on. They attacked villages and towns and anything that they could get their hands on. People were dying terribly and those in power - such as they were - deemed it necessary to fight back. Makes sense, yes?”

“To defend their home? Of course.”

“Hmm. And it would have, too, if they’d thought much further than some _valiant_ deed they wished to be remembered for,” his voice pitched up as he spoke and David heard the bitterness there. “They sent so many people out without any sort of real plan to back them that by the time my son was Henry’s age they were taking children to the battlefield to bolster their numbers. Strategy - well thought out, well planned - is what separates a leader from a bumbling fool that will only get people killed.”

David watched him carefully and thought about every trick he knew about that the man had played to get them all into place on his own personal chess board of life. Rumplestiltskin was a patient man, willing to wait generations to set everything up just so in order to see his plan through to the end. “They say that you ended the the Ogres Wars.”

“I did.”

“At what price?”

“The same one I ask for now: the safety of my family. That’s all I want. That’s all I need.”

He couldn’t explain it, but in that moment David believed him and there was a strange sort of truth just behind the mask, as if he didn’t quite want to let it through lest the prince take advantage of it. He supposed that he couldn’t blame him. Hadn’t he been the one that had said he knew how difficult it was that he’d come to them and then promptly brought the Blue Fairy into the folds?

“I’m sorry about Blue,” David murmured after a moment.

“What’s done is done.”

A small smile crept to the blond’s face. “I’ll make you a deal, Rumplestiltskin.”

“Will you now, dearie?”

“Yes, if you’ll make me one in return. We work together on this, not diagonal and not against at any point. That way we can make sure our family is safe. All of it.” He stretched his hand out and the sorcerer eyed it warily as if weighing the likelihood of some sort of trick.

He reached forward then. “Deal.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - Belle sets out to discover Zoso's roots and Zoso picks a fight with Rumplestiltskin.


	20. Chapter 20

She had decided that the best way way to defeat Zoso was to know who they were dealing with. _Know thy enemy_ , she’d read once in one of the many books in the second library that Rumplestiltskin had given her. Well, this wasn’t exactly someone that she’d be willing to sit down and have a glass of ice tea with, but she was certain that she could find something on him. She had been certain, at any rate, when she’d started, but this project was stretching even her researching skills to the extremes.

Belle let a sigh escape and tried to reach over to the table just to the side of the couch without jostling Rumple too badly. He’d finally fallen asleep and seemed to be resting peacefully with his head in her lap. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake him, but she needed the next book that was just out of her grasp. She was still convincing her fingers that they could go just a little further when it disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared in her other hand. “Thank you,” she murmured a little disheartedly and his acknowledgement was muffled as he wasn’t fully awake yet.

He was truly amazing, when you got past all of the flare he put into everything to throw people. He barely had to think about his magic to make it work, and often she was sure it was instinctual. She’d remembered being so very, very frightened of him at first when he’d whisked her away to the terrible, shadowy castle - only Rumplestiltskin had the audacity to name a castle _the Dark Castle_ \- with a giggle and a quip about skinning children. He'd put on such a show that day.

_It’s forever, dearie._

Her lips stretched into a smile as she set the book on the sofa’s armrest and smoothed back his grey-streaked hair. Her fingers worked their way through the strands and he nuzzled closer, a soft sigh escaping the most-feared Dark One. If only his enemies could see him now. Probably best that they couldn’t.

“Find what you were looking for?” he mumbled, the words only barely intelligible amidst the sleep that still had him caught in its grasp.

“Not yet,” she answered with a sigh, flipping the book open with her right hand and balancing it on the arm of the couch so she could keep playing with his hair. “There’s a lot of folk lore about Dark Ones, but very little actual fact.”

“I spent many a year encouraging folk lore, my dear. Could you imagine if there was a book somewhere with clear instructions on how to kill the Dark One? Those silly children from the village pounding on our door would have been the least of our worries.”

She rolled her eyes at him. His tone was playful and she knew it was a jest, but the idea of someone scouring through books to find a way to kill her Rumple made her uneasy. But wasn’t that what she was doing, in a way? Just not with Rumplestiltskin as the man with a target over his heart. She hadn’t found the name Zoso listed in any of the books yet. In fact, she’d never found any names connected to Dark One lore at all. It was like it was the same creature fading in and out of history and myth. Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, but always a demon with eyes like a snake and scales in place of skin. “Did he look like you?” she asked as she flipped a page.

“Hmm?”

“When you… Well when you saw Zoso as the Dark One, did he look like you did when I met you?”

“You mean when I killed him?” Rumple said flatly and she nodded. “Yes, there are certain characteristics of the curse makes visible. Magic dark enough to rot the soul tends to show on the outside, dear. At least in a land with magic. I suppose that makes us more dangerous here, as we can blend in and never be seen if we don’t want to be.”

“Rumple, please don’t say we as if you’re the same as he is,” Belle pleaded and he looked up at her, dark eyes focused and no sleep was left in them.

“Why not? We both hold the same curse.”

“It’s different in you.”

A smile touched his lips then. “Perhaps. If so, it’s due to you and Bae.”

She echoed the smile. “I’m most certainly willing to take half credit for that.”

He chuckled and sat up slowly. She tried not to be too disappointed as her fingers disentangled from his hair and remained empty for a moment. Her disappointment was short lived, though, as he leaned in and kissed her, the rush of True Love’s kiss evident as it washed through them both. When they broke, he pulled the book into his own lap and began thumbing through it, smirking at certain parts.

“Where did you learn to read?”

He stopped, looking over at her with a question in his eyes that didn’t quite make it down to his lips.

“You said you grew up in the Frontlands, didn’t you? That you were raised by two spinsters that taught you how to work the wheel? You never said anything about a formal education or-”

“My dear, surely you know that the best educations are never formal,” Rumplestiltskin teased. He continued to flip through the book as he spoke softly. “They taught me how to read, amongst other things. It wasn’t formal, but I had a better education than most in our village. They always had such dreams for me. They said that they wanted me to be ready to face the world. Ah. Here it is.” He put the book back into Belle’s lap. “I, in turn, taught Bae to read.”

“Did he catch on quickly?”

“Very quickly.”

She smiled at the mental image of Rumple and a young Baelfire sitting by the firelight in a little home somewhere that she’d never actually seen. The boy would have been in his lap, she knew, and he would have been so kind and gentle with him, praising every right word that the boy read off. She’d heard enough from Rumple - and even from Bae himself as they’d traveled to the Dark Castle together to find a way to bring his father back - to know that they’d been incredibly close before the Dark One’s curse. To see them inching towards that bond again left her with a pleasant feeling all around, like nothing in the world could go wrong. It was absurd, she knew, as things were falling down and exploding all around them, but at least one small piece was safe. Well, two, as their love was secure. She thought she may have just about convinced him of that at last.

Belle’s eyes fell on the page that he’d turned the large tome to and they scanned the words, not seeing what he had been pointing out. She glanced over, finding him watching her reaction. She hated when he did this. It felt like he was putting her on the spot. He was so very clever and had little patience for those that couldn’t keep up. She’d liked to have thought that she was intelligent, at least, and so she looked back to find what he wanted her to.

This was a history tome, the particular section speaking about a duke that ruled over the Frontlands. It had been one of the books Rumple had pulled for her from his library in his home. They were books that the curse had delivered here and not public library, as they had come directly from the Dark Castle. This duke had come to power some hundred years before she thought Rumple had said he’d been born. She had never heard his name and the story seemed like a very, very small blip in the grand scheme of history, but his ancestors were named in the traditional fashion and there was even a painting there of him with his head held high and a look of stomach churning superiority in his gaze. As terrible as he appeared, she still couldn’t find the connection and she finally relented, turning towards her love. “What am I missing?”

He shrugged. “How should I know?”

“You handed it to me,” she groused, a little irritation breaking through what she’d meant to be a light tone.

“I suppose I did,” he relented and stretched his legs out, propping his heels against the coffee table and slumping down into the couch, hands folded across his stomach. She thought he was just going to leave it there after a moment, but then he cracked one dark eye open to look at her. “I searched for it with magic. That section is where you need to be looking. Past that, I’m afraid I must defer to your talents which greatly exceed my own in that department.”

“Only because you’re impatient.”

“Perhaps,” he answered easily and shrugged.

“Well, this most certainly isn’t him in any case,” Belle murmured, looking at the man and Rumple leaned his shoulder against hers as he craned his head for a better look.

“Interesting.”

“What is?”

“I killed that man’s son.”

“Rumple!”

“What? He was a terrible human being. I did the land a favour.”

She glared at him, though the lightness of the conversation made it hard for her to hold it. “Your point?”

“Ah yes. His son was the duke that ruled over the village that Bae was raised in. I actually stole the dagger from that man. If these dates are correct, this would have been his father.”

“You stole the dagger from him? Are you saying he controlled Zoso?”

“He did. For how long, though, I don’t know. The Dark One was always a bit of a myth meant to keep children in at night when I was young. He was rarely seen and always blamed for terrible events.”

“Is it possible his father owned the dagger before the man that you… killed to take it from?”

“Oh, I didn’t kill him to take it from him. That came later.” She tried to ignore the ease with which he said some things. Some days he could discuss gruesome murders as if he were telling her that the sun was shining and they should go for a walk through the park. “It is possible that he inherited though, I suppose. As you’ve seen, if someone else has the Dagger, the Dark One can’t take it from them. I tried to with Zelena once and I just sort of froze in place.”

She nodded, mind whirling. She had a place to begin at. With a starting point and the information at her disposal, there was no limit to what she could discover. This is what she’d been looking for. She turned, planting a kiss against his rough cheek. He needed a shave. “You’re brilliant,” she said instead, her excitement overtaking anything else. “Thank you.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re going to find. A blacksmith’s son, a miller’s nephew, who knows? What good does it do us?”

“Know thy enemy,” Belle quoted as she stood. “Zoso knows who you were before you took on the curse. That gives him an advantage because he knows who you love. If we can find out who he was before the curse, perhaps we can find a way to defeat him.”

“Fair enough.” He stood then, stretching and looking somewhat like his old self when he did it. There was no cane in his hand and he seemed lithe and agile, if only until he tried to put weight on his bad ankle. It looked like that was a permanent issue in this land. Well, worse things could have happened. Much worse.

The sound of someone half flying down the stairs caused them both to turn, startled. Baelfire barely touched two steps after he reached the bottom landing and Belle was half surprised he didn’t just vault over the side of it to the floor with the hurry he seemed to be in. “Just got a call from Emma. We need to get to Main Street.”

“Why?” Rumple asked, his cane now in his hand and Belle wasn’t sure when his jacket or shoes had reappeared. He’d been so relaxed a moment ago, but now he looked the picture of his most put-together self, ready to follow his son into any danger Bae asked him to. It was a wonder that anyone ever called Rumplestiltskin a coward when it came to standing for those he loved.

“Zoso’s there. Apparently he cast some sort of spell and gathered half the town. He’s threatening to kill them if you don’t show.”

Rumple made a face and sank immediately back to the couch. “Absurd. Is this what it’s come to? Who does he think I am? Good luck to your heroes. They’re so convinced they can contain him, after all.”

“Papa, Henry and Emma are there.”

He was up just as quickly as he had sat down, a vicious growl escaping his throat. “Damn him. Well, let’s get this over with. We’re about to see what happens when you pit power against power.”

* * *

****  
  
  


Zoso didn’t know who Henry was. It was impossible that he knew who he was. That was one of the few comforts that Rumplestiltskin took in the entire situation as his magic deposited he, Belle, and Bae onto the street. He’d wanted them to stay behind, but he’d known better than to ask it of either of them. He had to rely on the fact that he’d prepared for Zoso to attack them so that he wasn’t distracted. He needed to bring everything he had to this fight.

The arrogant bastard was standing in the middle and briefly he reminded the younger Dark One of Zelena when she’d had the audacity to call the Evil Queen out in her own town. It had been bold and bordering on the absurd. He didn’t think Zoso cared.

Rumple didn’t allow his gaze to linger on his grandson too long and he’d warned Bae against going to the boy immediately. Zoso was looking for connections and he already knew Bae’s place in all of this. There was no reason to tip Henry’s as well. The teen was standing between both of his mothers and watching the grey haired Dark One with a curiosity that couldn’t be matched. The boy was clever. Perhaps they should be asking him for ideas on how to defeat their enemy.

The edges of Zoso’s lips twitched upwards and he took a step forward, one hand gesturing out. “Glad you could make it, Rumplestiltskin. I didn’t know who all you’d decided to keep close, so I invited them all.”

“This lot?” Rumple sneered, his gaze falling on the likes of Hook and Blue and Granny. “You can keep them for all I care. You’d be doing me a favour if my son wasn’t so fond of the damn town.”

The smile only broadened, terrible and wicked. “Who needs to hold your dagger if your son pulls your strings quite so nicely.”

“What do you want, Zoso?” Rumplestiltskin snapped, voice as sharp as it had been when Charming had called in the Blue Fairy behind his back.

“Such a strange world I came back to, don’t you think?” he asked easily, his steps solid against the pavement of the street and for the first time Rumple realized that no one was moving. They were frozen in place and when he really looked he could see the occasional shimmer of the spell that held them there. They were mostly safe from all of this, merely spectators to his show. The curse, it would see, was an instiller of showmanship. “I wonder just how well these people here know you, _Mr Gold_.” He sneered at the name. “How well do they think they know you. at any rate?”

He’d left his cane behind, relying instead on his magic to keep him steady. He needed to. Zoso had already proved just how much stock he put into appearances and strengths. “What these idiots know or don’t know is of no matter. What. Do. You. Want?”

“Quite hostile,” he chuckled, flickering out of existence and appearing right in front of Rumple. “Like I’ve gone and stepped on your toes here. Invaded your space?”

He didn’t bother with a retort. The man had come too close and Rumplestiltskin answered with a burst of power, sending him skidding back. It would have picked anyone else up off their feet and thrown them halfway down the street -  likely into one of the parked cars, as luck tended to have it in these sorts of battles that Storybrooke was becoming increasingly used to - but Zoso remained stuck to the ground, the winds ripping at his clothing and pulling his hair from the style he was currently keeping it in. One thin, small line of blood began to form along his cheek and he wiped it away, his magic taking care of it for him. “Is that how we’re going to play this?”

“It’s how you set the game up, Zoso. I just made the first move.”

“Hardly. You’ve been two steps behind since the beginning.”

Bae and Belle had been smart enough to move out of the way of the boiling power struggle and now it crashed, two spells of immense force slamming into each other and sending sparks flying in all directions. The ground at Rumple’s feet leapt upward and he whipped the debris back around, slamming it fully into the shield that Zoso threw up. He flickered out of the way as his predecessor aimed a rather nasty curse in his direction and came back around to slam one of his own design into the elder man, actually bringing him to his knees.

A smirk tugged Rumplestiltskin’s lips. “I asked you a question and I’m not a patient man when it comes to the answers that I seek.”

Zoso twitched, the remnants of the spell Rumple had struck him with racing through his system like volts of electricity. He grit his teeth against it. “I’ve been thinking,” he ground out and Rumple’s magic alerted him of the terrible danger just in time for him to flash out of the way of the blast that slammed into the newly repaired clock tower, sending pieces tumbling the ground.

The younger Dark One landed a few yards to the left of where he’d been standing, his ankle nearly rolling with his sudden weight against it. That wasn’t good. That spell was giving far too quickly. Instead of showing it, he flashed an impish grin and a fireball began to gather between his fingers. “Really? Why start now?” He released the attack, clipping Zoso as he dodged and slid to a stop.

“You obviously never learned exactly what it means to appreciate what this curse gives you.”

“You think? I’m rather fond of the power. It’s better than diamonds.”

Zoso didn’t miss the centuries old reference and he smirked, even as he flickered out and back in, finally catching a solid blow against his young enemy and sending him tumbling head over foot back and Rumplestiltskin landed hard against a solid, brick wall, his head bouncing off of it and a small grunt escaped him. “It’s not just about the power, my friend, though that is glorious. It’s about the darkness and ability to sluff off what the world tells you you should do. It’s about freedom.”

“Don’t know much about that, do you?” Rumple shot back, fading out as a sloppy attack half demolished the wall he’d been leaned against. “Oh? Did I hit a nerve?” he chirped from behind, dodging the next attack and the next.

“Stop running, you little coward, and fight me!”

There it was. The opening he’d been waiting for. Power gathered around him and his curse bent to his will, offering more than it might have otherwise. Zoso let out a terrible scream when it hit and was forced down _through_ the street, creating a crater there that spread out from the place of impact. “If you insist,” Rumple singsonged, the grin still lit across his face. This felt good. Maybe this is what he needed to get past the terrors of what Zelena had done. He needed to be in control again, and as he smirked at the man he’d stolen the Dark One curse from staggering to his feet and dropping back to one knee, blood soaking through his clothes and down the side of his face from the gash there, he knew that he held the control. The game was now his and he could play it however he wished.

He walked forward, his footsteps steadier as adrenaline mixed with magic and he felt near to giddy with it. Zoso was still staggering, having made it so that he was almost to his feet, though his stance was wide and unsteady, swaying as he finally did leave the ground and he looked drunk with the hit. “Don’t let yourself be fooled by my appearance,” Rumplestiltskin spat through a wicked grin and he leaned in so that he was directly in the other man’s face as he spoke. “I’m the power in this town. Everyone knows it and you, _my friend_ , are learning it the hard way.”

“Do you know how you gain power, Rumplestiltskin?” Zoso managed, his voice rough and pained even as he spoke. His fingers twitched and Rumple almost missed the movement, thinking that his body was still reacting to the blow that would have killed any mortal several times over, but his eyes widened as a dagger appeared in his hand, long and very, very familiar looking. Panic rose in him, screaming and frightened for a moment. “There’s the poor spinner from the Frontlands: so very afraid,” Zoso almost purred and Rumple didn’t have time to move. His attacker had hold of one shoulder and he thrust the blade forward, the knife ripping through layers of tailored clothing before biting into soft flesh and working its way through like it was nothing.

There was no delay of the pain as it flashed through him, starting from the entry wound and working its way into all parts of his body with terrifying speed. His curse only made a painful wound worse, but his scream was choked off as Zoso applied pressure, leaning in, but he kept him held up with one hand on his shoulder and likely a little magic. Slowly his mind worked through the fog of pain, though, and somehow it registered that the knife was buried in his gut, not his chest. This was not his dagger in another person’s hands. Zoso had not found it. They’d known that it was possible - likely - that a duplicated curse would also duplicate the dagger. This one would bear Zoso’s name, not Rumplestiltskin’s.  

He still couldn’t catch his breath, but the realization must have shone in his eyes because Zoso smiled, teeth bloodied from the earlier attack. “You always thought you were so clever,” he growled, twisting the blade and Rumple gasped, his knees threatening to buckle beneath him. “You take power by defeating those that people think are powerful. You’re nothing, Rumplestiltskin, and now they see you for that.” He twisted it again and a cry finally ripped from Rumple throat as he felt the world pulse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter - The fight continues and Belle finds herself a target.


	21. Chapter 21

A swirl of magic carried them away from the crowd of useless onlookers that Zoso had brought to be his spectators. He’d wanted to humiliate Rumplestiltskin in front of them, so why not stay? His mind wouldn’t work through the puzzle. All he knew was that they were gone and landing hard in a room he didn’t recognize. He was flat against a solid floor, pain spiking through him from the impact of landing and he choked, feeling his entire body seize up against it. Muscles clenched involuntarily and a moan left his throat, pained and quiet.

“This is better, isn’t it? Away from the rabble. Just the two of us to discuss what needs to be done in this… situation,” Zoso asked him from somewhere off to the side. He couldn’t see him without craning his head and at the moment he just couldn’t find it in himself to so. Breathing was difficult, though he kept on with it. It may not have been his blade, but it was having near the same effect as his own would. The poison spread through him and he choked against it. Focus was difficult, but he worked through it, trying to regain control in any way that he could. The pain _could_ be pushed aside, he reminded himself. Zoso seemed to be doing that well enough right now.

“Well this is a bit of a disappointment,” the elder Dark One groused, coming to stand next to him and at that point Rumple forced his eyes opened and to look up at him. He was still covered in a fair amount of his own blood and he seemed to wear it with pride. The smile that perked his lips was truly bordering on insane and he wondered if the curse might drive some Dark Ones mad. It certainly had those tendencies, he’d found over the years.

“Come back, Rumplestiltskin,” Zoso called and he lifted his foot so that it hovered over him and it was only a split second before it happened that Rumple know what was coming. The boot came down against the wound, pressing down against him and he gave a choked off cry. It caught in his throat and his whole body jerked with the effort of keeping it in, slamming his head back against the hard flooring. Zoso leaned his weight against the already burning wound and the noise that came from Rumplestiltskin hardly sounded human.

“Welcome back,” the grey haired man said with a dark smile and dug the toe of his boot in before pulling away to leave him gasping. He felt his magic surge within him despite it and he pushed, sending his attacker stumbling back with the surprising strength of the blow.

Rumplestiltskin himself couldn’t make it from his place on the floor, though, as the pain shot through him. It felt like the blade was still inside of him, digging and twitching just a little to open up and cause damage to as many parts of him as possible. His insides had given way to the knife’s sharp edges and he knew that if he hadn’t been cursed he’d likely bleed out with the way it was pouring out of him now. It soaking his front and he was sure the dagger had gone all the way through him. His curse was feeding him the information and he vaguely wondered if it couldn’t be doing something more useful… like healing it. Perhaps the Kris Dagger was the same in some ways, if his name was on it or not - if it were duplicated or not - and it would always be slow healing. The gash that Zelena had created with his own dagger against his ribs had taken weeks to fully close and heal.

Zoso chuckled as he steadied himself and let him lie there for a moment, gasping and sputtering against the pain before he finally regained something that resembled control. “What do you want?” he managed, looking up at him. He refuse to bow to this man, refused to cower. He might not be able to pull himself to his feet in that very moment, but without the dagger that bore Rumplestiltskin’s name, Zoso couldn’t kill him. Pain was temporary.

The elder man crouched down then, his eyes gleaming gold in the dim light and Rumple almost thought that he might see remnants of the curse on him even in this land. “I want what power brings. I want assurances.”

“Of what?” The pain was starting to recede just a little and he was regaining his bearings once more. An uncontrolled attack had still sent the elder man back, but a controlled one that was more than a reaction - a spell or a curse instead of simply pushing forward with raw power - could provide him with the opening he’d need.

Zoso must have seen the clarity start to creep back in because he reached down, his hand coming down directly onto the wound and his fingers dug in there. A terrible scream bounced off the walls of the room and it took Rumplestiltskin just a moment to realize it was his own. “That I will never again answer to a master other than myself,” the elder Dark One said as he continued to dig at the painful wound and Rumple’s back arched up off the ground in any attempt he could find to get away from him. Zoso held on, though, digging and pulling and if he were actually tugging it wider open the younger man had no way of knowing. All he could feel was the utter agony that the action brought on.

Then Zoso removed his hand. The pain eased only a bit, but it was enough to gasp in a breath and hear him speak. “The only way to do that is to increase my power. Tell me where your dagger is, Rumplestiltskin, and I will return the favour you once did for me. I’ll put you out of  your misery. I’ll take this burden of life from you.”

“You’re insane.”

Something lit through Zoso’s eyes and Rumple suddenly sure he was right. The man was insane. He laid a hand flat against the wound, the pain spiking again, but this time he directed a spell through it and it rushed in, spurred on through the hole created by the copied Kris Dagger and Zoso’s magic filled him, ripping at his insides like thousands of needles. Part of him realized that this was what had killed Midas and Maurice. It had shredded the mortals and left only a tattered shadow of their living selves for their loved ones to mourn over. Rumplestiltskin wondered just what it would do to him. His curse wouldn’t allow him to die without his own dagger tearing apart his heart, but his body was so very, very human in the Land Without Magic and he felt it pull and rip with the spell coursing through him. He coughed, blood rising up and he struggled to breath around it as it filled his throat, spilling out the corners of his mouth.

“Amazing what the power does,” Zoso breathed, standing to watch him convulse in agony against the floor, his screams clawing their way up his throat and out as the magic continued to rip and shred and tear.

And then is stopped, leaving him with the feeling that he was bleeding all over and perhaps he was. His own magic had immediately ceased its useless reports on the damage to him and had begun scurrying to try to fix whatever it could that was not directly caused by the dagger. He didn’t have the strength left in him to lift his head to see, but fighting back suddenly became an unattainable goal. Everything he had was working to repair the damage. It wouldn’t have taken him this far in the Enchanted Forest, the wounds would have barely had time to form before they closed, but here things were so very, very different.   

“The dagger, Rumplestiltskin.”

“You’ve got your own,” the younger Dark One managed. “You can’t have mine.”

Zoso snorted. “I won’t touch your son, if that’s what you’re worried about. That’s the deal I’ll make with you.”

Dark eyes rolled so that they could meet ones that shone gold with power. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because you don’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice, isn’t that what you taught me? I won’t make you a deal, Zoso, so you might as well kill me.” A pained, humourless breath of a chuckle left him. “Oh wait, you can’t. So stop wasting both of our times.”

He was sure the full extent of the pain would return - perhaps another spell would be cast born completely of darkness and hate and desperation that built up the Dark One’s curse at its most powerful points - but instead the older man stopped, studying him for a moment. “You didn’t keep it well.”

Rumplestiltskin knew exactly what he meant as he said it. His dagger. He had not kept his dagger well. He’d allowed it to be taken - thrown away, in reality - and someone else had owned him for a length. He tried to keep the fear from creeping in, the thought of captivity. He remembered the old beggar on the road that he and Bae had come across, the same one that stared at him now. Possibly for the first time in Zoso’s existence he was in control of his own powers, but the knowledge of what it mean to have someone else own you was still there. It still drove him.

_My life was such a burden._

“When?” he asked, and surprisingly enough Rumple heard himself answer.

“Recently.”

Zoso pushed a long breath through his nose and straightened. “Very well. We really are wasting time here then. You, though, have other weaknesses. I’ll have your dagger, but first, shall we show your little town where the true power lies?”

Rumple felt a somewhat foreign power overtake him and they were swept away again. He landed back on Main Street, somehow on his feet, but he knees immediately gave and he went crashing to the asphalt below. He heard Belle scream his name and Zoso chuckled. “More than one weakness, it would seem,” he almost purred.

No, not Belle. Not his Belle. He was laid out flat against the street, but he pressed the palms of his hands down and tried to push himself up to his knees. He didn’t quite make it and the warning his magic gave him hurt almost as much as the pain of crashing down against his wounds. _Stop_ , it warned. As he’d found out recently enough, even he had limits here. They thought he had a nasty habit of self preservation, but Rumplestiltskin knew that he had nothing on his curse, and he was it’s living host. It would assure that he remained alive for its own sake, even at the cost of those he loved.

Belle hadn’t been frozen with the rest, but as soon as Zoso had focused in on her she lost control over her own movements. Rumple could see the spell wrap around her, carrying her forward like a marionette being controlled by the puppeteer. Zoso pulled on the strings, meeting her just a few yards away from Rumplestiltskin’s prone form, and grabbed her by the chin to force her to look up. “Quite the beauty,” he said and she met his hungry gaze bravely.

“You’re not going to win,” she said, despite his grip on her.

“Oh? And why’s that?”

“Because Rumple’s going to defeat you.”

Zoso chuckled, tightening his grip until she winced. “I think you’ve misunderstood something about your _Rumple_ , m’dear. He’s no hero that will vanquish the villain.”

It was Belle’s turn to laugh, the sound stronger than Zoso obviously expected. “He’ll be the first to say he’s no hero, but unlike you he has people he loves. And love is stronger than any darkness.”

“Foolish girl,” Zoso growled and shifted his grip to her throat.

Rumplestiltskin felt the power gather as he pushed the dark spell at his love, but Belle’s name didn’t even make it to his lips before the spell rebounded on the older Dark One and he was flung back, slamming into tattered street and rolling hard before he finally stopped, laid out with a new crater dug out around him from the force in which he hit.

Belle stood, eyes wide even as Zoso disappeared in swirl of smoke. “Rumple,” she breathed and was able to move then, rushing to drop down by his side.

Rumple felt a rush of relief. His protection spell had held. She was safe. Belle and Bae were both safe. Belle’s hand was against his cheek now and he felt her lips against his and her tears against his face.

“Papa?” Bae’s voice sounded to his side and when Belle pulled back he saw his son as well. He reached a hand  up and felt it filled immediately. They were safe. As the unconsciousness closed in around him, he knew they were safe, and that was really all that mattered in the end.

* * *

****  
  


Baelfire’s mother had left when he was eight. At the time, his papa had told him that she had died and he could hardly remember the details. Looking back, he should have seen the hesitation, should have known the signs, but what eight-year-old boy does? He knew now that his mother had left them. Pan had told him once, in a fit of rage, that he was good at being abandoned, just like his father had been. “Like father, like son,” Pan had spat, angry over being bested by the fifteen year old over something or the other. Bae hardly remembered it now, but as he sat at his father’s bedside he hoped that his terrible grandfather had been wrong. His papa had been willing to split the worlds apart - twice - to get to him, so surely he wouldn’t leave him now.

It had been an obvious power play when Zoso had attacked Rumplestiltskin the way he did on Main Street and Bae still didn’t know what all was done to his father in the time in which the two Dark Ones had been gone. They’d vanished only to reappear a short time later - really, it had felt like an eternity while the were gone, but several people had assured him that it had only been a short period of time - with Rumplestiltskin barely conscious and the older Dark One trying to take out Belle as the final blow. Leave it to his papa to think ahead and win through strategy even over power. His curse hadn’t made him clever, simply given him the time to sharpen his natural wit to a deadly point when need be.

Dr Whale had wanted to take him to the hospital, but Belle and Bae had both argued that almost in unison. Zoso was after something that he apparently could only get from Rumplestiltskin and the hospital had no protection whatsoever. Even Regina had said that relying on Rumple’s formerly cast protection spells over his own home would be the safer route. She’d explained how he had a tendency to set up spells with blood magic allowing entrance and the only other exceptions could be made by those with the power to enter. In other words Bae - and likely Belle, as he would have made his own exception for her as she lived there - would have full control over who entered the home, no matter the power level of the person trying to enter. So Whale had finally agreed to treat Bae’s injured father at his home, and that was where he currently lay.

It had been just over twenty-four hours now and Whale had just left - he stopped by every few hours to check on him - with the same report: his body was healing at an abnormally fast rate, but the deep wound that had just barely missed severing his spine was where the danger truly lay. It wasn’t keeping up the rate that the other wounds were and he’d lost more blood than any human being should have been aloud to lose. Whale couldn’t explain it other than the injured man’s magic was keeping him alive.

Rumplestiltskin had barely stirred since they'd eased him into the bed. The shallower cuts and scrapes that had marred his skin from the battle were almost nonexistent now, but he remained pale and unresponsive even as his son held tightly to his hand. It was strange that after running from the man for so long that the thought of him slipping away now set a deep fear within his chest.

“I can’t lose you again,” Bae whispered, pressing a kiss to his father’s limp hand. “Please, Papa.” He’d begged him again and again, and he certainly wasn’t surprised at the distinct lack of response he received this time as well. The elder man slept on, his breathing steadier than should have been expected and his pulse regular. When Bae had first seen him after they’d reappeared, his father looked like a man just barely clinging to life. Blood had been everywhere, both from the wound just below his ribs and from whatever else Zoso had done to him. It was dried at the corner of his mouth like it had filled his lungs, but as far as Whale could see any damage that had been done was healing or already healed now, with the exception of the knife wound.

“Any change?” Belle asked from the entrance, leaning against the frame that led from the sitting area into the actual bedroom. Bae gripped the hand in his own a little tighter.

_You didn’t let go._

_I couldn’t bear to._

“He hasn’t woken up.”

She pulled a chair up to the bed since Bae was sitting on her side. She motioned for him to stay where he was and he sank back to lean against the headboard. It was odd how quickly they seemed to fall into the routine, but neither had been willing to leave his side for very long. They switched off when they needed to, and this time Belle had returned with a stack of books to continue her research. So far she'd pulled a surprising number of books that had detailed history of the Frontlands littered through them. Bae hadn't even been aware that his childhood home had made it into a book, much less multiple. He'd never thought that the lands gave much of a damn what happened to them.

"Find anything yet?" he asked softly.

"Bits and pieces. I’ve been following the lead we found right before Zoso interrupted it. This man was the fifth son of the Duke of the Frontlands some four hundred or so years ago. He rose to power when his father and siblings died in a terrible accident.”

“Sounds fishy,” Bae murmured and she nodded.

“Rumours followed him his entire tenure as duke, including one that said that he held a powerful sorcerer in his employ.”

“Zoso?”

“I think so, or at least a Dark One. I’m still looking through. There was something promising…” She shifted through her stack until she found a collection of what looked like old papers, bound together only by an aged, thin string and Bae couldn’t help but wonder how it had ever made its way into his papa’s collection. It seemed to be what she had been searching for and she held it up, skimming through them. “Yes, this is it. See? They seem to be some sort of journal notes. They were tucked away in one of the history tomes that Rumple had me looking at.”

Bae started to reach out to take the offered papers, but the slight twitch of fingers against his own took his entire attention and he looked immediately to his father. His eyelids were fluttering, either while dreaming or trying to pull himself up to break through the last layer of consciousness. Bae squeezed his hand, hoping to coax him closer to wakefulness and was rewarded with eyes the same colour as his own sliding tiredly open. “Hey,” his papa greeted quietly, his whisper rough, but he forced a smile out with it.

“Hey yourself,” Bae answered, tightening his grip a little more. “How are you feeling?”

“Bit like hell.”

“You look like it.”

This brought a chuckle from the injured man, but he seemed to be coming further around and he shifted, wincing as he did, but his gaze fell over to Belle who was now beaming. “Glad you’re both safe,” he whispered at last.

Belle’s smile did not fade and she leaned over from her place next to the bed to place a kiss against his forehead. “No fever this time, at least.”

He made a small sound of acknowledgement. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Rumplestiltskin asked after a moment and Belle shook her head.

“No. It would seem that I had someone looking after me.”.

The weight that had pressed down on him for the last day seemed to ease a bit as Bae watched his papa and Belle exchange looks between them and he couldn’t help the feeling that his father had been right: nothing happened by chance. He couldn’t say that if he’d known as a child that falling through that portal would have put his father together with a woman that could reawaken the humanity in him or that it would bring him together with Emma that he would have understood any of it, but looking back he realized that he felt a little less bitter about everything. He wasn’t quite sure when that had happened, just that it had, and that within itself was a relief of a great burden he’d carried around for far too many years.

Rumplestiltskin perked suddenly, dark eyes that had been lulling shut and back towards sleep were wide open again.

“What is it, Papa?” Bae asked about the time that both he and Belle heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

He was almost on his feet when his father reached out, catching him by the wrist with a more relaxed look settling in again. Rumplestiltskin didn’t actually say anything, but glanced over towards the door where Henry was coming through. The teen grinned widely. “You’re awake!”

“So I am.”

The grin only widened as Henry moved through the opening that separated the sitting room from the bedroom and invited himself up to sit with his dad and and grandpa, but beneath Rumplestiltskin’s pleased expression lurked something that didn’t sit right with Bae. “Papa, what’s up?”

Rumple reached forward, his hand coming up to the side of his grandson’s face in an affectionate gesture. “You’ve been coming by?”

“I was worried,” Henry said, his shoulders slumped a little as if he thought he’d done something wrong. “Are you upset?”

“Oh no,” Bae’s father breathed. “It’s just… he had no reason to connect you to me until now.”

Baelfire’s eyes widened. “Can you cast the same spell on him as you did on Belle and me?”

“Eventually, but as of now…” He winced, his hand going to the place over the wound and he sunk down a little further into the pillows beneath him. “I just can’t.”

“You think he’ll come after me?” Henry asked, and to his credit he sounded more curious than afraid. Hell, after everything the kid had been through, having a former Dark One after him was just par for the course.

Bae watched his papa for a moment, his eyes closed tightly against rising pain and he pulled in a breath, forcing a smile that wasn’t entirely convincing. “You know I wouldn’t let him hurt you. What do you say to staying here for a day or two? Just until I get my feet back under me.”

“That’s just going to take a day or two?” the day asked with raised eyebrows.

“He’ll be up and around in no time,” Bae answered for him, pulling Henry into a side hug on the bed. “I’ll be here. It’ll be fun.”

“Like a bachelor’s house… but with Belle.”

Belle choked out a laugh. “Something like that.”

Bae watched his son’s grin grow, but the kid seemed to know the weight behind the situation. Though hadn’t bothered to, Bae could come and go as he please, the looming threat not quite as potent to him with his father’s spell protecting him, but Henry was a ripe target to go after. He’d do anything to see his son safe, he knew, even if he had to keep him in until this was all over. One glance at his father told him it was just another thing he finally understood and he hoped Henry would understand it better than he had at his age. He was a smart kid after all.

* * *

**TBC**

In the next chapter: Belle makes headway on her research, Rumple pushes his limits, and Zoso tries to form an alliance. 


	22. Chapter 22

Dreams had come in waves since he’d come up from the vault. Sometimes he knew them, sometimes he didn’t, but they came dark and dangerous in the night, pulling at his soul and reminding him just how deep things had gotten. He could feel his papa's hand in his own, gripping it and promising to fix it, even though they both knew he couldn't. Not now. Not at this point. Even then his voice was fading, even as Bae choked out his own goodbye. He couldn't go without his papa knowing he loved him, knowing that he forgave him. He understood now. When it came to family, there was no too far.

Baelfire hadn't been afraid to die, not as long as those he loved were kept safe by his sacrifice. When he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by darkness, the feeling of shadows clawing at his ankles that were sunk deep in some sort of muck so that he couldn't move, the realization hit him that perhaps he _should_ be afraid. The walls moved like they were alive and when he stared back at him he felt himself shiver. Was this the place his father had been trapped in?

"He's not one of us,”  a voice said and Bae turned, but his feet were stuck and making it difficult to move. A hand ghosted over one shoulder, but he just missed its owner. It sent a cold shiver down his spine, like he’d been touched by death himself.

"Such a different soul. Make a deal you didn't understand, boy?"

The Vault of the Dark One. That was where he was. It had claimed its prize upon his death and the little boy who had hated what magic had done to his father had grown into the man that would spend eternity locked away with those that had come before him, all touched by the same curse that had ruined his childhood. "Everything comes with a price," he said, finding his voice.

"But some prices are too high to pay," a voice purred on his ear, and Bae saw this one. They were the things of nightmares: souls left to rot in the remains of a curse that had kept them in life. He jerked away.

"Such a clean little thing," another said and Bae realized he was suddenly the center of attention. He'd rather have been anything but that in this place. "Who'd have thought you'd be capable of such dark magic as to open the vault?"

"What were you looking for?" came another voice.

"Power?"

"Wealth?"

"Death?"

"Power?"

Bae wanted to point out that that one had been said already, but something told him they didn't care. He tried to picture how his papa would have ever handled to strange lack of intelligence that seemed to emanate from the other inhabitants. It was like there was nothing left of their human selves, just a grasping urge for darkness and, yes, power. Their minds had decayed like their souls.

"Left down here to rot long enough and you won't remember yourself either," a new, clearer voice said and Bae felt like he should know it. He turned, still unable to move, but the man passed into his line of sight. He wore a hood, but Baelfire could see the gleaming eyes beneath. Somehow he knew that this was the man his father had killed. This was Zoso.

He pulled the hood back and studied Bae. "Who are you?"

A memory flashed suddenly from when Bae was thirteen and he and his papa stood back from the soldiers on the road. He'd thought he was being brave by answering their questions, but instead he'd pushed his father's hand into a desperate move to save him. Though he knew his papa couldn't save him from this, the lesson remained. "Neal," he answered. Neal was nothing in the land that these people came from. Baelfire, though, the son of the current Dark One, might just be known. It wasn’t worth the risk without a better understanding of what was happening.

"And what purpose could you have possibly had for resurrecting Rumplestiltskin?"

The others inched closer as he delayed and Zoso eyed him dangerously. "My family. I had to save my family."

"Such a desperate soul to choose this route," Zoso said gruffly and Bae couldn't move as the man wrapped a hand around his throat. He couldn't die if he was already dead, right? Gold eyes were staring directly into his and he squirmed. "What's his name?"

"Whose name?" Bae managed. Things were spinning now and he didn’t think it was from the lack of oxygen. It was like being caught in a dream with nothing quite working right. He could almost reach out and touch a realization that he should know, but it was just shy of his reach and he found himself staring into those terrible eyes.

"The boy you're trying so desperately to get back to."

Fear was spiking. He hadn't said anything about Henry. He hadn’t said anything about his son. A terrible sense that he'd already been at this point and past washed over him and Zoso smiled like he knew it to, tightening his grip. "You may be able to push back the memories for a while, Baelfire, but I know the boy's name and I have no qualms making use of him."

Baelfire found himself staring at the ceiling of a room that was becoming increasingly more familiar to him. A dream. Just a dream, but this one he remembered. This one wouldn’t let go.

He was not inclined to full-out panic attacks, but he was starting to understand why some people were. It clawed at him and no amount of logical thinking could push it back entirely, so he stood slowly, bare feet quiet across the wood as he moved silently through the house and up the stairs to the third floor bedroom that Henry had claimed as his own. His son was sleeping where he’d left him the night before - it had to be the earliest hours of the morning now - and Bae leaned against the doorframe and just watched him for a moment.

Zoso wasn’t here. There was no way he could break through his papa’s wards around this hours. Henry was safe. Those were truths that he had to put his faith in.

“Dad?” a groggy voice sounded from the bed. “Everything okay?

“Yeah, buddy,” Bae answered quietly as he stepped into the room and towards the bed.

Henry sat up a little, leaned against one elbow so his dark eyes could focus in on his father even amongst the shadows. “Grandpa okay?”

“He’s getting there.”

“Then what’s up?”

What could he say? Bae wasn’t even sure himself if the dream had been remnants of memories from his own time in the vault or if they’d been his fears wrapped up into the nightmare. Maybe it was a bit of both, but his papa’s worries tugged at him as he sat on the edge of the bed. If Zoso knew who Henry was then he’d try to use that to his advantage.

“You and mom keep saying you’re going to be honest. Tell me,” Henry pleaded and Bae couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

“I don’t know exactly. I had a… Well, I guess it was a dream. I was in that vault. I think your grandpa’s right, Henry. I think Zoso knows that you’re my son. If he does, he’ll go after you.”

“But I’m safe here. You and my moms and my grandparents won’t let him get to me.” The teen regarded him for a moment before offering him a grin. “I promise to stay here, Dad.”

He wasn’t sure why the words pushed such a rush of relief through him, but they did. “We’ll find a way to fix this,” he said after a moment.

“I know. I’m not afraid.” He scooted over, the invitation out there and Bae took a seat, stretched out next to his son and he wrapped an arm around him. There’d be a time - very soon, Baelfire promised himself - when they could get on with living rather just surviving the most recent round of threats. Until then, he could take the time to sit and talk with his son. They were both wide awake now and Henry drilled him on his plans until the sun came up.

* * *

****  
  


She had to admit that if she'd ever been able to catch a glimpse of the future _this_ was not something she would have believed. Snow White and her Prince Charming were sitting - not bound or chained in any way - across from her on the couch in her office and Regina was holding their little Leo in her arms, trying desperately not to be distracted from the very serious conversation at hand by the way he seemed to enjoy the way she was bouncing him up and down. She'd never really thought that Henry took after his maternal grandparents as a little boy at all, but there must have been something there because her son's baby uncle resembled Henry a great deal as a little one.

“We’ve gone through every option of containment that we can find,” Charming was saying and Regina snorted.

“Didn’t you hear Rumple at Granny’s the other day? That’s a fool’s errand.” She continued to bounce the little boy in her arms, a smile on her face even though her words had been a little irritable. “Though I understand that he put you in your place for that.”

It was David’s turn to make a small sound of annoyance. “Yeah, we got quite a show. He and I spoke, though, and I think everything’s settled.” He paused, glancing between the two women. “I shouldn’t have brought Blue in like I did.”

“The past is the past,” Snow answered, her hand on his knee. “We can only move forward and meet this threat together.”

Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. There were times when her step-daughter’s optimism was nauseating. She handed Leo back to her and straightened her suit jacket. “There won’t be a future if we don’t deal with how to kill him without just duplicating the curse.”

“Maybe Rumplestiltskin could kill him,” Snow said, her voice sensible as she spoke. “He already has the Dark One’s curse, so what would that do?”

“There’s no telling,” the former Evil Queen murmured. “Even here it could be… well huge. Rumple’s always been very good at delegating price and keeping a part of himself as close to human as he can, but if you piled a duplicated curse on top of that…”

“He’d lose himself,” Charming murmured, much to Regina’s surprise. He could learn.

“He’s gone this long, though.”

“Your husband’s right for once. It would be too much even for him and it would be worse than having two of them running around. You think he threw a fit in the sheriff’s office the other day? I heard about it. Tossed the glitterbug around a little and burned some papers, right? You haven’t seen Rumplestiltskin’s temper. He keeps it very well.” Regina sighed, tucking her dark hair behind one ear. “If he lost himself there’d be no escaping it.”

“But perhaps you’re looking at it from the wrong perspective,” a voice wound through the room and Regina was immediately on her feet. None of her alarms had gone off. The bastard had snuck into her office without setting off so much as one alert. Snow hugged a surprisingly calm Leo to her and Charming joined Regina in standing, his sword half pulled from its sheath.

Zoso appeared sitting in the mayor’s chair, one ankle casually across the opposite knee and he leaned back a bit, the chair’s front legs just barely hovering off the floor, and a smile tilting the very corners of his lips. He was watching them, his gold tinted eyes looking for anything to twist to his own uses. He was a manipulator, Rumple had said at one point, and Regina could see that here. The only other experience she’d had with him she’d been caught with the rest of them and thoroughly unable to fight against his spell. He was powerful, there was no question, and he did nothing to hide that now.

“And I’m sure that you’re going to tell us the correct perspective to take, aren’t you?” Regina growled, her voice dangerous and her head held high. Power or not, he was in her office and she would not be intimidated.

The smile broadened and he stood. “If you’ll allow,” he answered with a small bow. “I’ve heard of you, Regina. The Evil Queen. Rumplestiltskin’s personal little curse caster.”

“You know a lot for having been dead the last four hundred years or so.”

Zoso’s movements were slow, like a predator moving toward prey, but the smile never faded. “I’m a quick learner.”

“Go,” Charming hissed under his breath at his wife who was still clutching the baby in her arms.

“Not so quickly, if you please,” Zoso called out, the door to the office sticking even as Snow made a go for it. “I’d have you sit and stay.”

Snow was moved as if by invisible strings and Regina watched her all but fall back down to the couch. She was struggling against it, but didn’t seem to be having a great deal of success. Charming still hadn’t moved past the halfway point of pulling his sword free, and with a closer look he too was caught by a spell. Regina, though, had full range of motion and she circled the chair she’d been sitting in, heels tapping the floor as she did so and offered her most condescending smile. “I see the stakes, Zoso. Please, enlighten us.”

“Not a fool of a woman at all, are you, Regina? No wonder he chose you.”

“Rumplestiltskin chose me for a great many reasons.”

“Loyalty amongst them?”

Regina tried not to snort too loudly. No, she could certainly say that loyalty was not chief amongst her former mentor's reasons of choosing her to cast the curse. In fact, they hadn't been in particularly great terms when it's been cast, and after meeting her dear sister she was certain that a fair amount of discourse between them had made Rumple a tad bit more comfortable with the arrangement.

"Something funny, Your Majesty?"

"Rumplestiltskin and I rarely see eye to eye, much less trust each other to be loyal if it goes against our own survival. Even now that we're more or less on the same side, it wouldn't shock me if he were willing to double cross me for just the right circumstances," she answered, the laugh still highlighting her voice, but then it turned dangerous and her smile darkened. "That doesn't mean my loyalty has ever been for sale."

Zoso stiffened, obviously having thought he'd chosen a bit better in his targets. "I thought you'd be a bit wiser than your royal peers."

"Peers?" Regina scoffed. "Peers would insinuate that they had anything in common with me."

"They did. Your entitled arrogance!"

The change was abrupt and the spell slammed into her hard. Regina barely had time to gather her wits and throw an impromptu shield around herself and her step-daughter’s family. She may not always like them, but she and Snow had certainly come to terms enough that she wouldn’t sacrifice them to this maniac. Especially not little Leo.

“Regina! I still can’t move!” Snow cried, and if she was struggling against the magical restraints it didn’t show.

Damn it all. She was back to unraveling spells again. Rumple was bound to hear about this one and she’d never live it down. Of course, she had to survive the incident first. “Working on it,” she growled, balancing the shield and trying to find a way to crack his hold on the lovebirds and their child. The weight of the power crushing down was enormous, but not so much that she didn’t notice the distinct lack of finesse that came with it. It wasn’t that this man was incapable of casting high level spells - obviously, since she was still trying to unravel one - but Rumplestiltskin was most certainly on a different level than his predecessor when it came to the layers upon layers that he wove into his, making them so complicated and hard to pull apart. Maybe she wasn’t as terrible at it as she thought, she just had trouble unraveling Rumplestiltskin’s spells. Finding the string to pull, she let a smirk touch her lips. He’d messed with the wrong sorceress.  A sudden pressure began breaking through the shield and Regina pushed back hard, using his lack of familiarity with their surroundings to send him toppling over the desk and crashing to the floor. “Go!” she screamed and she and the Charmings were out the door, a lock put in place behind them that likely wouldn’t keep him for long.

Charming took Leo in his arms and they raced out, hitting the stairs and taking them quickly. Regina bit back a smart comment about the fact that David had become quite talented with running with a baby in his arms. She probably wouldn’t have bothered keeping it to herself if a fireball hadn’t hit just behind her, tossing her forward as it ripped apart the inside of the town hall. She and snow tumbled, thankfully missing taking David and the child down with them as they hit the landing.

Snow’s eyes grew wide. “Regina…”

“I see him!”

The next fireball hit her shield hard, physically driving the Evil Queen back and she connected with the wall, wincing as she did. The shield held though and she grimaced through it, her will holding it in place more than raw magical power. Will power could only take her so far though and he wasn’t going to fall for another rough blow like before, especially when he physically held the higher ground.

“When I say run, you go,” she hissed quietly.

“What are you going to do?”

“What needs to be done. Just go when I tell you to.”

“Regina, I’m not going to let you -”

“Now!”

She was banking on him expecting another powerful push back at him when she’d really planned to dive directly after Snow, but he didn’t seem so easily tricked and her shields cracked too early. In that moment Regina knew it was done. After everything, this was what was going to get her. Saving Snow White. What had the world come to?

The pain never came, nor did her protections ever fully crack. Instead, Zoso gave a sharp cry at the top of the stairs and Regina saw an arrow buried in his chest. He was staggering from it before his entire body glossed over with the sure signs of squid ink.

“You going to sit around all day?” Robin’s voice met her ear and she found herself grinning.

“My outlaw in shining armor. Took you long enough.”

He returned the grin. “Had to make sure we came prepared.”

That’s when she saw Neal and Emma with him. Her former mentor’s son giving a shrug. “My dad’s shop turns out not to be so easy to navigate without him there to interpret the chaos. Found it though.” He turned a look on Zoso, still frozen in place, and the look he gave him reminded Regina in no small amount of his father. “Lots of it.”

Regina’s gaze returned to the archer and she saw him favouring his left leg, but otherwise he looked much better than he had before. She made her way down the rest of the steps and found her arms around him before she had given herself permission and he didn’t certainly didn’t stop the kiss. She felt one strong arm make its way around her shoulders and pull her in before they broke, if only for the sake of handling what needed to be handled. She cleared her throat, smoothing back her dark hair. “Thank you.”

“Well, if this is going to be your thank you, I shall endeavour to jump in and save your life more often, m’lady.”

She couldn’t help the smirk that touched her lips even as he winked at her.

“We don’t have any way to contain him,” Snow said quietly. “Now what?”

“Now you’ve made a deadly enemy,” Zoso said from the second floor and he was gone in a puff of smoke, the squid ink having worn off and Robin’s quickly fired arrow buried itself in the wall.

* * *

****  
  


“So what’d you find?”

Belle looked over to Henry who was taking up a new perch on the armrest of the couch. She’d come downstairs to let Rumple rest while Bae was out and the teen had followed, already with a small case of cabin fever setting in. Apparently like grandfather like grandson, she thought. If Rumple’s magic weren’t keeping him as sedated as it seemed to be, they’d be hard pressed to keep two indoors.

“They’re some old notes that were tucked away in some of your grandpa’s books,” she answered, holding the aged paper up for him to take a look at.

He took them carefully and his fingers were gentle as the separated them, so he could read the words. “It almost looks like a journal.”

“I think it was. From what I can tell it was written by the duke that ruled the Frontlands around four hundred years ago. Duke Bartholdus, though he never actually signs the papers. Everything that I’ve found though-” she reached for another book and then stopped, turning towards the teen. “Did you really want to hear all of this?”

“Do I really want to hear about the guy that probably had control of my grandpa’s crazy predecessor that’s trying to kill us all?” He grinned, dark eyes glimmering with a bit of mischief Belle certainly recognized. “Of course!”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she pulled the book forward, opening it to a marked page. “Well, the duke isn’t trying to kill us, your grandpa’s crazy predecessor is.”

“That’s what I meant. So did this guy own Zoso’s dagger?”

Belle pulled in a deep breath. “I’ve made it through about half of these papers here and in them there’s a reference to _my dear friend_. This dear friend of Bartholdus’ and he apparently set out on a journey in pursuit of a power that could change the world.”  

“Intense,” Henry acknowledged. “By ‘change the world’ did they really mean theirs?”

“You really are quite clever you know.”

He grinned at this. “So you think this friend is Zoso, huh?”

“There are parts… missing. They’re here, you see-” she reached over and flipped the pages so Henry could see what she meant- “but the writing suddenly becomes distorted. I can read quite a few languages from our land, but this is something I’ve never even seen.”

“Do you think it’s just old?”

“Not _that_ old. I think that it’s coded by a spell. I’ve seen Rumple do it before when he didn’t want something being easily read. He’d know how to undo it, but I don’t want to bother him with it just yet.”

Henry set the pages down carefully. “Is he really going to be okay?”

“Of course he is.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

Belle offered a smile and reached forward, tipping the teen’s chin so that he’d look at her. “You’re not a little boy anymore, Henry. No matter how painful any news is, I won’t be the one to keep it from you.”

“Thanks.” He ducked his head a bit, looking more past Belle than at her. “I haven’t really gotten a chance to get to know him yet. As soon as I found out he was my grandpa I was hanging out with my dad and thought I’d have time to get to know him, but then Neverland happened and he beat Pan.” His dark eyes flickered over. “Was he really dead?”

“In a way, I think. In limbo.”

Henry nodded, accepting the words as the best guess she had rather than a step around the truth. “Since I got my memories back it just hasn’t stopped. I want to get to know him as my grandpa, not just Mr Gold that scared the crap out of me as a kid.”

Belle couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. “Rumple frightened you?”

“Don’t tell  him that. I mean… I think everyone in town was at least a little afraid of him. Except for my mom. Both of them.”

“Your grandfather is a complicated man,” Belle murmured. “When people don’t take the time to get to know him all they’ll see is the mask he chooses to put on. Usually that’s rather harsh and off-putting, but once you get past it he’s… well he’s very different.”

Henry nodded, soaking the information in. “I get that impression. He doesn’t like for people to see him because he’s scared they’ll take advantage of it. My mom -” he chuckled as a mumbled _both of them_ fell from his lips as a side thought - “is the same way. Regina is better at hiding it, I think, like my grandpa.”

“That makes sense, since he taught her,” Belle mused.

“I was thinking about it when I came over.”

“About what?”

“The fact that everything’s always moving so fast now. It’s like we started running once time started again here and we haven’t stopped. He wasn’t going to come to me I don’t think, so I needed to come here. I need to know my family.”

This young man was truly amazing, Belle realized as she watched the emotions flash across his face. If Rumple had been willing to pull apart the worlds for Baelfire, perhaps this boy could just bring it all back together. What a family he had. “I’ll tell you a secret: Rumple needs his family too. He was worried for you, but he was very pleased to see you when you came over last night.”

“You’re sure he’ll be alright, Belle?”

“He just needs time.” The words were just barely out of her mouth before a crashing sound came from upstairs and she was on her feet, taking them at least two at a time and she could hear Henry on her heels. She burst through the half closed door at the top of the stairs and turned to see the bathroom door open wide and Rumplestiltskin on the wooden floor in there looking perfectly miserable. She looked back to Henry who nodded. He wouldn’t crowd them and she stepped forward hesitantly. “Rumple?”

The closer she got the worse he looked. He’d been sleeping so soundly the day before and then all night - probably the most rest he’d gotten in one collection of hours in some time - that she’d assumed everything was continuing to go as well as it could. He was leaned over the toilet, a pained expression etched into every line in his face, and he glanced over to her. “Belle,” he managed before a choking fit sent him leaning over the bowl again.

She was at the door now, her fingers touching the frame as she waited to see what he would need more: comfort or privacy. He was trembling and when he finally found a bit of reprieve from the terrible dry retching that came from not having eaten recently he ran a shaky hand through his hair. “The dagger’s blade is poison to me, even if it is a duplicate, it would seem,” he breathed out after a moment, his voice raw sounding, so unlike his usual lilt. “Once it washes out of my system… it can begin to heal.” The last word barely made it out and she cringed.

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked quietly once it stopped again.

“I’d appreciate a glass of water,” he managed, dark eyes flickering up to her and she could see the pleading there. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her with him, it’s that he didn’t want her to see him like this. There were times when his pride really did get in the way.

"I'll get it.”

Belle felt a smile tug and she glanced behind her to where Henry was still hovering back close to the bedroom door. “Thank you,” she said and he was gone, his footsteps sounding down the stairs. She turned back to where Rumple looked to be trying to decide if he should risk sitting back or if he needed to throw up again. Slowly she moved into the bathroom, careful not to crowd him too much as she opened the cupboard up and pulled a washcloth out.  She soaked it wordlessly in cold water from the faucet as her love began to choke against the poison moving through him again. When he seemed to be done, at least for that moment, she knelt beside him and put one hand to the side of his face. “You’re a little warm,” she murmured and pressed a kiss to his temple.

Rumplestiltskin shuddered and gripped the side of the toilet, eyes shut tightly against the rolling nausea even as Belle touched the cool cloth against his skin. He leaned into it and a soft sigh escaped him. “Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely.

“I shouldn’t have left you up here.”

“You didn’t know. I didn’t even know what to expect.” He finally settle further to the floor, his back pressed against the side of the tub and he leaned his head against it, one hand going to the wound that still hadn’t healed. He winced, his expression drawn and pained.

Belle took a seat next to him. “You’d said that Zelena used your knife on you,” she murmured softly.

“She did, but she wanted me useful. I was sick from it, but nothing like this. Granted, she didn’t put it straight through me either.”

She couldn’t help but cringe at the words and slowly wrapped her arm around behind him, holding him as best as she could at that angle. “Did you just wake up feeling ill?”

He pushed a irritable breath out, half snort, half cough and Belle felt her heart sink even as he spoke. “I couldn’t just lie around all day, sweetheart.”

“So you decided to hop up and and take on the world?” she managed. For all the intelligence he held within him, sometimes it was as if he ignored it completely.

“Something needs to be done.”

“You have to be well first. This, ” she countered, motioning to the fact that they were both seated on the floor of the bathroom and that he hadn’t made it out of the bedroom before his body had fully rebelled on the movement, “is your very human body reminding you that you have limits and need time to heal.”

“He won’t wait. He’ll attack Bae, or Henry, or make another go at you. I can’t… Belle, I can’t lose any of you.”

"I know," she admitted softly. "But we can't lose you either."

“Sweetheart,” he breathed and she buried her face in his arm.

“I just lost my father. I can’t lose you too,” she managed, the tears already trailing down her cheeks. Everything felt like it was shattering around her, breaking into thousands of pieces. She couldn’t find it in herself to stop, and all she could think of in that moment was him laid out on Main Street. “Please, Rumple. Please-”

His trembling hand came to her face and he thumbed at the tears. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise?”

“Belle, I-”

“Make me a deal. I don’t care what you want in return. Make me a deal that you won’t leave, that Zoso won’t take you from me.”

His thin lips pulled into a soft smile. “I promise, Belle. I love you. I won’t leave you.”

****  
  



	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Henry had seen many crazy things in his life. He’d spent the first ten years of it in a town filled with cursed fairy tail characters, after all. He’d been raised by the Evil Queen after he’d been given up for adoption by the unwitting daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Dr Frankenstein had been his pediatrician, Granny and Little Red Riding Hood ran the diner he liked to eat breakfast at, Hansel and Gretel had been classmates,  and the Huntsman had been the town sheriff, along with…. other activities, he knew now that he was older.

         When the curse had broken, things only got stranger. He hadn’t known that they _could_ get stranger. He’d found his birth mom, she’d woken up a whole town of cursed folks from the Enchanted Forest, he’d found his dad while looking for Rumplestiltskin’s son, and his adopted mother had turned out not to be quite as evil as he’d once thought. Then Peter Pan was his crazed great-grandfather that wanted to steal his heart, his grandfather had killed both _his_ father and himself to save them all, and somewhere down the road he had heard his mom had dated a flying monkey. The fact that Walsh had been a flying monkey in disguise weirded him out more than most of it. He’d always seemed so normal.

         As the tap water ran into the glass Henry realized he didn’t know if that was right. Some people didn’t drink tap water at all - Regina wouldn’t let it touch her lips - and some people didn’t care. He didn’t know what his grandpa wanted or needed and somewhere he knew the level of thought he was putting into a glass of water was a bit over the top, but Henry wasn’t dense. He wasn’t dull. In the end it came down to the fact that he didn’t know his grandpa at all. The man that sat on the floor upstairs in the old-styled bathroom looked just like the man whose shop Henry had been afraid to enter as a child because of the stories that spread through school. It was amazing, thinking back now that he had his memories to do so with, just what they’d said about him growing up. Many of those stories revolved around him stealing children or something along those lines and part of him wondered that if stories got that crazy in Storybrooke what they’d been like when he was the Dark One of the Enchanted Forest.

         He tipped the glass a bit, the water sloshing out so that it wouldn’t spill on the way up the stairs and he grabbed for a rag to wipe at the side of it. He could fix this. Of all the things in the world he couldn’t fix - his mom’s fear of commitment, the fact that they were all stuck in the Land Without Magic again, that there was a crazed sorcerer on the loose and all of his family seemed to be afraid for him suddenly - he could fix the fact that the only real bond that he seemed to share with his grandfather was the love of family.

Henry took the steps slowly, straining his ears for any sound of movement in the room on the second floor. He heard Belle speaking lowly inside and pushed the door open to see her with one of his grandfather’s arms around her shoulders and she was balancing him as he moved slowly back to the bed. He hovered by the door a moment as she got him settled. The movements were slow, careful, as if trying not to jolt him too much. His other arm was wrapped around his middle and the lines in his face were well-defined in a constant grimace.

Belle seemed to notice him and a smile touched her lips, reaching out and motioning him in. “Thank you,” she said, her voice soft and strained, but he reminded himself of what she’d said earlier. No matter how difficult the news, she wouldn’t hide it from him.

“I didn’t know if you liked tap water or what you drink….” Henry managed, feeling very foolish even as the words left his lips.

His grandpa offered him a smile, reaching a hand out for the glass. “Anything’s fine,” he answered, his voice raspy and so very much unlike the Mr Gold that Henry had always known him to be. Mr Gold could get most anything he wanted through a few easy words, and if those failed, he had connections and power in every corner of Storybrooke. No one stood against Mr Gold until Emma Swan came to town, but if Henry didn’t know any better, he was sure that that’s what his grandfather liked about his mom.

Rumplestiltskin lifted the glass to his dry lips carefully, sipping down the water. He started to set the glass down only half finished, but Belle shot him a look that Henry had seen many times whenever he’d been sick. He stifled a laugh at it, thinking that it probably wouldn’t help, and waited until the elder man finished and set the glass to the side, closing his eyes and looking very much like he needed to run back to the bathroom to lose everything he’d just take in. He seemed absolutely miserable for just a moment until he finally managed to crack an eye back open and his gaze fell on Henry. He offered him a forced smile. “Thank you,” he managed.

Henry took a deep breath in, pulling in enough air that he hoped it would bolster his courage. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” he answered too quickly. Adults were always lying when they answered too quickly.

He inched closer and Belle stepped back, giving them room. She murmured something about putting a kettle on the stove and suddenly he was alone with the man that his father had once hated and was coming to love again. Rumplestiltskin’s eyes darted away now and Henry realized just how unsure he was. He put on a good front, of course, and usually hid behind an almost flamboyant confidence, but in the end Henry wondered if that small tug of uncertainty that he’d felt his entire life came down through his father’s bloodline.

Henry took a seat on the edge of the bed. He’d been excited enough to pile on when his dad had been in the room, easily comfortable with him in a way that everyone was. His dad knew how to make people feel that way, a trait that he obviously didn’t learn from his own father. He was turned so that he didn’t see Rumplestiltskin move at first, but slowly a hand came up to the back of his head and Henry shifted to look at him. There was uncertainty, yes, but there was also affection there and he remembered that Mr Gold had so very rarely delivered a harsh word in his direction. “Can I stay?” he asked before he thought to stop himself.

“Sure.”

They sat in silence a moment, Henry staring at the wrinkles in the sheets even as Rumplestiltskin's hand fell back to them. “Thank you,” he said at last.

“For what?”

“For bringing my dad back.”

“I’m afraid I can’t say it was for selfless reasons, lad.”

“I know. That’s okay. You love him too.”

“I do. Very much.”

Henry didn’t have to work on his and Gramp’s relationship. David had always been willing to do anything and everything that was needed for it, but the teen was sure that even though his paternal grandfather might want to, he might not even know how. He’d been a father for only fourteen years, if his storybook was right, and by the time he’d found his son again, his son had a son. Being a grandfather must have been as foreign to Rumplestiltskin as being Rumplestiltskin’s grandson was to Henry, but they both loved Henry’s dad, and that was somewhere to start.

 

         Morning found Belle wide awake just before the sun. She’d slept deeper that night than she had in quite some time, and if she didn’t know any better she’d have thought Rumple had cast a light sleeping spell over her. The sorcerer in question was sleeping innocently enough on his side of the bed, the tension finally eased from him which must have meant that the pain was better. He’d told her the night before, after she’d ushered Henry upstairs, that while he’d have prefered to skip the incident as a whole, it seemed that the illness had pushed the poison through his system and allowed him to begin the process of healing the knife-inflicted wound.  

         Watching him sleep was one of her rare and secret joys. It would embarrass him if she ever voiced it, so she kept it to herself. It wasn’t as if she had a great deal of time that she could, after all. When she’d lived with him in the Dark Castle he’d rarely slept and if and when he did she never saw it. In Storybrooke they’d had no great amount of undisturbed nights without crisis or injury or sickness to put them directly into sleep. Now, though, he seemed to be resting peacefully and she couldn’t help but smile. In those moments one might hardly think he was a danger to anyone at all, much less one of the most feared sorcerers in the lands and certainly the most powerful.

         He stirred, as if feeling her watch him and she leaned over to press a kiss against his forehead. He settled down and didn’t come through to wakefulness. In fact, he didn’t break through that last layer until Belle was curled into one of the chairs by the far windows and looking over the journal entries she had found.

         “Anything interesting?” he asked, his voice startling her.

         “Still trying to decipher these notes," Belle answered. She looked back up from them when she heard the sound of him climbing out of bed and slowly making his way over. He looked tired, but much better when compared to the day before. The colour had come back to his face and the lines weren’t nearly as deep as they had been to show the constant state of pain the previous night.

He half sat on the arm of the chair when he reached her and held out a hand for them. He leafed through them, studying the script for a moment. "The writing is cloaked," he murmured and the pages shimmered, releasing the spell and she could read the words there.

"Thank you," Belle said as her eyes caught hold of the words, the story written plainly in journaled format now that he'd lifted the barrier that had kept her from reading it. He remained perched on the side of the chair with her and she leaned into him a bit, just feeling his presence as her eyes skimmed the words. Zoso’s name leapt from the page now - even pages that she hadn’t thought had been coded before held new information now that the spell had been unravelled - and she read them as eagerly as she would any of her own books. Rumple seemed perfectly content to stay where he was and wait and she felt his hand go to her hair after a few moments, fingers tangling there.

“It’s amazing how clearly he detailed this out. It was just hidden behind the spell,” she breathed, eyes skimming the papers. “It looks like they were very close friends, this duke and Zoso, and that they heard the story about the Dark One and set off to find him so that Bartholdus could find a way to rule even though he had elder brothers in line before him. The plan was to divide the power between he and Zoso.”

Rumplestiltskin snorted. “And he said _I_ made a deal I didn’t understand.”

Belle’s mind conjured the images as well as any spell could have as she read bits of the story aloud. The two men had been friends, traveling to better their own worlds - of course they said they were off on a grand quest meant to better everyone’s world, but as Henry had pointed out there were very obvious selfish desires in their sought-after power - and it corrupted what might have been a very good friendship. The notes, all Bartholdus’, grew darker and darker as she read and Rumple remained where he was so that she could lean into him as time passed, balancing the terrible story with the his closeness. They’d traveled deep into another kingdom and had gone on many great adventures together, all detailed out with a flourish of words and descriptions. They’d found the Dark One and found that she was owned by another, just as they wished to own her. It was in private conversation that the Dark One of those days - _a woman of great and unnatural beauty brought on by layers of dark magic to hide her ugly soul,_ Bartholdus had written - had told the young royal of the Kris Dagger and exactly what must happen to steal it. She warned him that the power came with a hefty price and that perhaps they should not want to pay it.

“She tried to seduce him,” Belle murmured, skimming over the ongoing details that Bartholdus had written out that spoke more and more of the beauty and less of the ugly soul beneath as they stretched on. “But he betrayed her. He and Zoso both. They stole the dagger, but he convinced Zoso that he should take the power on for himself and they’d return home with it.”

         Bartholdus had kept the dagger - _for safe keeping_ , he wrote, _as I had seen what the dangerous powers did to the woman who had held them and I wished them not to corrupt my dear friend. -_ and his friend had become a slave to him and to his son after him. She could only assume it would have gone on and on if Zoso had not found a poor, desperate soul that was willing to do anything to save his son. She glanced up at where Rumple had barely moved as she read and found him staring intently at the pages, his clever dark eyes thoughtful.

         “Why didn’t he try to convince you to steal the dagger and give it back to him?” she asked after a moment.

         Rumplestiltskin shrugged. “He told me, at the time, that his life was a great burden. He doesn’t seem to feel that way now.”

         “Even if someone found it and took it from him to control him, he’d get it back, wouldn’t he?”

         “Of that I have no doubt.”

         “And to kill him will only duplicate the curse. There has to be another way.”

         Rumplestiltskin hummed lowly, neither countering or agreeing with her statement.

A knock came at the door before she could push the subject and he called for the knocker to come in. While Belle expected it to be Henry, Bae peeked around the door as it opened, looking far more awake than he usually was at this hour, especially after having come in as late as he had the night before. He’d spoken to them in the evening but had been vague enough in what he was doing that she knew it had made his papa uncomfortable. Rumple was learning though, albeit slowly, to remember that his son was a grown man. The knowledge might have stopped him from rushing out the door - along with the fact he’d been asleep most of the day - but it wouldn’t stop him from worrying. The sight of his son that morning did help ease his mind though.

“Hey,” he greeted. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“I could ask you the same. Is the world set to end and we didn’t know it?” Rumple teased with a ghost of a smile.

“You’re hilarious, Papa.” Baelfire crossed the space between them and pulled the remaining chair over to sit inn. “So, I didn’t want you to worry yesterday-”

“That never ends well,” Rumple grumbled.

“- we had a bit of a close call, but I think we might have found at least a temporary solution. It should give us enough time to find Zoso’s dagger, if nothing else.”

“I think after this morning I have a bit of a clearer view on him,” Belle put in, holding the papers up as she spoke. “At least, perhaps, why he’s been targeting the people he has. A duke was the one that swindled him into taking on the curse and then betrayed him and kept the dagger.”

Bae quirked an eyebrow up and leaned back in the antique chair that he’d made claims on. “Interesting.”

“What’s your plan, Bae?” Rumplestiltskin asked his son. “And what close call?”

“Zoso paid Regina a visit yesterday afternoon while Emma, Robin, and I were going through the shop and looking for the squid ink that you thought might be there. You had some, by the way.”

“Just what I wanted, a thief poking around my shop.”

“Rumple,” Belle murmured, giving him a light push. “Let him finish.”

Bae cracked a wide grin. “Thank you, Belle,” he said cheerfully as his father rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Zoso apparently thought Regina might side with him, she told him no, and thankfully we showed up in time. The arrow held him a few minutes. Not long.”

“Forgive me, Bae, but I still fail to see your plan.”

“Robin and I started talking about the cells in the sheriff’s office. There’s more than enough squid ink to coat those. Between you, Regina, and Blue you could wrap in in a variety of spells to keep him in and the ink takes away any physical approach to getting out.”

“You’d still have to get him in there,” Belle pointed out sensibly.

“That’s the part Papa’s going to like,” Bae said, his voice taking a bit of an uneasy turn.

“How so?”

“You’d said he was going to be after Blue, right? You Saw it?”

“Glimpses, yes.”

“She’s willing to play bait. Not happy about it, but willing."

“You can’t be serious,” Rumplestiltskin gawked. “I’ve never known her to… Really?”

“And this is the part you’re _not_ going to like: we need you there to get her out of it. Regina confirmed that with that kind of magic wrapped around the cell that even Blue wouldn’t be able to get out and Regina didn’t think she could pull her out either. If you’re up to it, Papa…”

“You want me to stick my neck out for the Blue Fairy? Bae, you know…”

“I do, but we’re in this together,” his son answered firmly. “We can’t just keep dragging this out. The first step his holding him, then getting the knife, and past that we can argue it out until we come to a decision everyone’s happy with.” He shifted forward and father and son’s eyes met. “We need to protect our family from this guy, Pop.”

Belle watched any argument that her love had tucked away suddenly become invalid. The plan wasn’t his and he didn’t like it, she could tell, but it was, at least in part, Bae’s idea. That would be enough.

“Alright, son,” he said slowly, rising from the place he’d taken when he’d first come over to sit with her. He was surprisingly steady on his feet and Belle found herself amazed again at the level his magic worked at when he told it to. It had been just a little over two days since he and Zoso had ripped each other apart on Main Street and they were about to go at it again.

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

         When the plan - if it could be called a plan, Regina thought _suicide mission_ seemed like a better term to use, but the fact that Robin had had a small part in its creation kept her from throwing it out entirely - had been explained, she didn’t think _she_ would be the one standing between her former mentor and the Blue Fairy to wrap the dark and light magics together into what would turn into a third spell in the layers upon layers that the three of them would wrap the holding cell in. After all, she had about as much experience with light magic as Rumple did and she was very certain that he at least had a better base knowledge of how it worked. He could, after all, use actual healing spells, something Regina had never been able to do. The fact that she hadn’t been willing to learn was beside the point. It was based in light magic and therefore gave him more experience in it.

Rumplestiltskin had all but dragged her out of the room when she’d started listing out all the reasons this was a terrible idea, leaving Blue, Emma, Snow, David, Robin, and Rumple’s own son to stare at the door as it slammed closed behind them. “Have Emma do it,” she said as he whirled around at her.

“I’m sorry, did I miss the part where she’d mastered magic? I thought you’d said the girl would be lucky if she ever learned more than a few basic spells unless the world was falling down around her and she was forced into it. There’s no room for error in this.”

“Did you miss the part where _I_ never learned light magic?” Regina hissed back with no less bite in her voice than he’d dealt her.

“It’s not light magic, dearie. Reul Ghorm will take care of that.”

“So why don’t _you_ tie them together?” She stopped and saw the way his face tensed and he seemed to be gripping his cane a little tighter now. She’d been a little surprised when he had waltzed into Granny’s to meet them the day before - exchanging quips with the aging woman about being half dead and the fact that she was late on rent - the bookworm on one arm and his son on his other side. He’d seemed well then, certainly better than she’d ever expected him after what he’d been through and at the time she’d waved it off to the fact that his magic allowed for a very fast healing rate. Now that she looked at him she realized that it was, at least in part, glamour that she’d been met with. He was a showman. He’d always been a showman. “Should you even be here right now?”

“I may not be at my best, but I’m fully capable of doing what needs to be done,” he snapped irritably. “Are you?”

“You tell me.”

The tension eased and his lips quirked at the edges like they used to when he was trying to hide his pleasure with something in their lessons. That’d been many, many years ago, but there were times when Regina wondered if he’d ever really stopped teaching her. “I believe you are,” he breathed out, seeming satisfied with his own acknowledgement in it. “Do you remember some of our first lessons? The ones where I was teaching you about balancing the memories you pulled on to call the darkness to yourself and then reeling it all back in?”

“Yes.”

“Really balance it. You can do that now.”

Regina felt her heart clench in her chest. She was so very terrible at being happy, why was he so certain that the flicker of hope she’d found recently would be enough to allow her dark soul to reach out and connect with pure light? He’d never say it outright, but he’d said enough that she knew it would immediately eat through his defences if he tried to do it in his state. He was pulling too hard on his own curse and allowing it to work through him to heal the wound inflicted by Zoso’s dagger. It really was up to her.

“Ready?”

“I suppose I should be,” the former Evil Queen murmured and the door opened before she reached for it. The others were waiting for them expectantly and she pulled in a deep breath. She’d mastered the art of pushing forward with confidence years ago, and now she had to cling to that. A glance in Robin’s direction helped solidify it and she couldn’t help the smile that touched her lips.

He reached forward and pulled her in close, a kiss touching her cheek before he whispered into her ear, “Don’t underestimate yourself.”

“How could I, with you here to remind me?” she answered back and had to pull away before that mischievous twinkle in his eyes made her lose sight of their goal.

Regina steadied herself, standing between her former mentor and a fairy that she would have rathered seen flattened on someone’s windshield. She pushed back that particular thought and focused on kinder ones. Henry. Robin. Roland. Three names swirled in her mind and she felt both magic users at her side reach out, dark and light dancing around and weaving through the bars. She remembered the first time that she actually _saw_ a saw a spell taking form. It had been one of the most beautiful sights she thought she’d ever seen. Magic touched every sense, tugging at her very soul and the names continued to repeat as she felt her own magic call Rumplestiltskin’s dark spell, but, surprisingly enough, the fairy’s own light spell came to her other hand. She watched them, mesmerized, as they folded in and around each other, braiding together and adding a deeper layer than perhaps either could have done on their own.

And then it was done, the shimmering light of the finished spell washing over the holding cell and Regina loosed a long breath, still captured in the awe of the moment.

“Well done, Regina,” Rumplestiltskin’s voice sounded to her left and she’d forgotten how good his rare praises made her feel.

“Will it hold?” she asked, pushing aside the quip that had danced to her tongue out of habit. They were short on time and while Robin had sent his merry men to help Hook watch Rumple’s home where Henry had promised to stay inside with Roland and Leo behind the carefully layered wards that protected the house, she didn’t want to push their luck.

“Yes. And now it’s up to Blue to lure him here. You remember what we discussed?”

“I do,” the fairy dressed as a nun said prissily. “I trust you’ll hold up your end.”

“Don’t deviate from what we discussed in the slightest,” Rumplestiltskin pressed. “My Sight is a bit vague right now, but I’ve found the path you should take. Take it and everything will go according to the plan. I’ll pull you out.”

“Okay,” she breathed, offering what Regina supposed was meant to be a smile, though she thought it might have been more of a nervous tick. “After all, someone has to keep you in check, so I’d really prefer not to meet my end here.”

An impish grin crossed the Dark One’s face. “Bless, you think you keep me in check? That’s Belle’s doing, dearie. You’ve got nothing to do with it.”

  
  


Reul Ghorm was one of the most ancient of creatures in the Enchanted Forest, having spent countless years in the service of the greater good to all those around her. She had seen powers come and go, wars fought, and triumphs won. She had been a part of some and spectator to others - as needed, of course - but she never would have dreamed that she would be asked to place her life into the hands of a Dark One. She had seen quite a few of those as well.

The Blue Fairy had weighed the use of arguing her point that Rumplestiltskin had never cared much for her - even though she’d tried so desperately to help him - and that relying on him to create her path of escape was foolish. Somehow he had convinced Snow White and her husband of at least somewhat honest intentions, and when Blue had pointed out that he had never been straight with them before - why in all the realms would he begin now? - the arrogant imp had the audacity to growl out a quip about her own transparency, or as he would say: her _lack_ of transparency.

In the end it had been Snow that had convinced her, very certain of his good intentions wrapped into the fact that it would keep his family safe. The fact that no Dark One that had ever come before him had bothered to give a fleeting damn about the families they left behind didn’t seem to phase the princess. She was utterly convinced of his loyalty to them. Blue had opted to keep her opinions to herself on the matter.

That was how she found herself standing on what appeared to be one of the streets at the edge of town. Those streets had been deserted as of late, due to the terrible murders that had taken place when anyone neared the woods. They were mostly royals, of course, but no one risked it after the first two.

Blue didn’t dare risk a glance to a window where she knew Robin Hood stood pressed against the wall so that he could just barely see her, ready with squid ink tipped arrows in case things went poorly. Rumplestiltskin had spent the better part of two days pulling at pieces of the future and reorganizing them so that he had the path she should take. He’d been adamant about the fact that she should not deviate from the course he’d set up, no matter how close she thought it was coming. Zoso was strong and he was powerful, but if they played their cards just right they could outwit him.

She’d known Zoso many, many years before, as she’d known his predecessor and hers before that. Dealing with Dark Ones was an unfortunate part of being the head fairy, but she did it for the sake of the Enchanted Forest. While she’d certainly never say anything to him of it - afterall, there was no point in letting a monster feel any sort of justification in his own demonic nature -  Rumplestiltskin had been one of the tamest she’d seen in a very long time, even with his tricks that he liked to call deal making.

“My my,” a voice sounded from the shadows cast by a building blocking the setting sun. “Is that Reul Ghorm I see? A bit taller than I remember. A bit less… showy.”

Blue stiffened at the voice. She’d never had a full on battle with Zoso - his owners had kept him well enough that if he caused too much trouble that she could go to them to pull him back in - but she was certainly not unaware that he was deadly. She had been amongst the crowd the night that Zoso had fought Rumplestiltskin on Main Street and had no disillusions about the level power he held.

She took a step back as he advanced, just as Rumplestiltskin had said he would. He’d been very specific with everything and in that moment she had to choose to put her faith in him - or at least in Snow, who had put _her_ faith in him - and waited until the count of four to turn on heel and run.

Zoso liked to play with his victims, they knew that much. He enjoyed the chase as much as he enjoyed making them suffer. Rumplestiltskin had explained that was part of the curse that drove him in that, and that a game of cat and mouse with the Blue Fairy playing the part of the mouse was something that he wouldn’t be able to pass up.

Blue darted around a corner, feeling power nip at her heels and she tried not to trip over the curb that she was sure was higher that evening than it usually was. The next corner to turn, just a few yards ahead, would allow her to move back into another archer’s view. Snow would be there with her own arrows and it was just another few steps-

The human-sized fairy let out a startled gasp as the Dark One appeared directly in front of her. “Not so quickly, dear,” Zoso chuckled and she found herself thrown to one side. Blue hit the pavement and was up in an instant, remembering Rumplestiltskin’s warning that his own rough handling of her a few days before would be nothing in comparison.

Blue threw herself into a door that wasn’t on the path that had been set up. Whatever the former spinner had Seen had to be wrong. He couldn’t have possibly meant Zoso would get that close or that he’d attack her in that way. She was on her own now.

The library door burst open and she stumbled in, eyes wide as she scrambled to keep her footing. There was a back exit and if she could get to it she could come around the opposite direction towards the town hall. The plan could still work. It had to work.

Raw power slammed into her, knocking her to the side and sending her tumbling. A small, cut off cry escaped before the impact with the far wall silenced it and she slumped down. He was moving towards her now and she had nowhere to go. Her wand would do little against him here in the Land Without Magic, and as the smile stretched his face a name that she never thought she would call on left her lips in a desperate last attempt.  

  


“She’s late,” Charming said, checking his watch again and Rumplestiltskin glanced over from where he’d been leaning against the desk. It was a waiting game on their end, as not everyone could be along the path to help that damn fairy get to the finish line. She was all but useless more times than not - unless you counted having an uncanny ability to make you want to ring her neck just to shut her up - but in this it had been the only way he had Seen the plan working. She hadn’t been happy with it, but he thought it was likely more that he was the one expected to pull her out of the cage than anything else.

Any reply Rumple might have given was cut short when he felt the distinct tug that came when someone called his name and expected him to answer.

_Rumplestiltskin!_

It was whispered, but if he didn’t know better it was that idiot fairy. He was going to kill her if Zoso didn’t. “She got off the plan,” he hissed and David shot him a confused look.

There was no time to explain. He simply vanished from the room, allowing his magic to take him to where the cry had emanated from. He landed in the library, just behind Zoso, and barely had time to snap a spell into place to take him off his feet and vanish the panicked fairy from the room, leaving just enough of a trail that it looked like he hadn’t meant to, but that Zoso could follow. He hoped he would follow.

“Taking the side of fairies now, are we?” the elder Dark One asked and Rumple steeled himself for the hit that never came. Instead, he was gone in a flash just as the younger man had hoped. He’d follow the trail and land himself in the cage.

Blue was still terrified when Rumple flickered back into existence in the office. In the bare few seconds it had taken him to follow it looked like they’d landed in the cage, Blue had run out the open door, and Charming was in the process of slamming it shut. Zoso let out a terrible snarling sound as his hands wrapped around the bars and he froze instantly to them, the squid ink taking over his entire body.  His eyes, though, were alight with fury.

Rumple felt a small smile perk his lips as he took a step forward, the sound of feet pounding down the hall announcing the arrival of several others that realized the plan had been botched. “Hello, dearie,” he greeted Zoso.

Another terrible sound ripped from the other man and Rumple chuckled, spinning around to look at Blue who David was helping up from the floor. “You!” he growled, not bothering to hide his irritation. “Follow the plan, that is what I told you. If you follow the _exact_ route, no harm would come to you. You deviated.”

“He changed course,” she coughed out, looking like she was still sore from the encounter. Good.

“No, dearie, he didn’t. You did. If you’d kept on, it would have been much simpler and much less painful for you.”

“That’ll hold him?” Emma asked, just having arrived and staring at the still-frozen Dark One that they’d caged.

“For now.”

Charming snapped his cell phone shut. “Mary Margaret is on her way here from the route. Grumpy’s going to stay with her to guard him.”

“Neal’s on his way too,” Emma acknowledged as she glanced down at her buzzing phone.  

Her father nodded and turned a look to Rumplestiltskin. “We’ll meet up with him outside. We’ve got a dagger to find.”

Rumple turned to follow, but felt the barest of pulls as Zoso murmured his name, forehead leaned close to the bars and his amber eyes held a dangerous amount of hate within them. “You’re going to try to take my dagger? You’re going to try to control me? After everything you know that it does?”

The younger Dark One weighed his words carefully before stepping right up to the bars. “You should be careful who you threaten, dearie. No one gets away with taking aim at my family. You may have missed Zelena on her way down into the vault. She could have saved you a lot of trouble. Enjoy your cage.”

Zoso’s chuckle followed him as he turned and walked out and Rumplestiltskin pushed down the feeling that he was missing something as terribly distorted bits of the future tugged at his mind. The faster they found his dagger, the faster they could deal with him. He’d focus on that, and if the puzzle pieces were important enough, he could only hope that they’d become clearer.


	25. Chapter 25

Bae had forgotten how intense Emma could be when she was on a mission. He’d expected his father to be a bundle of nerves throughout this whole search-for-Zoso’s-dagger process, but Emma must have had more than her usual quota of coffee for the day. They’d dropped by the house to check on Henry and the two younger boys before setting out to search Storybrooke. He hadn’t realized how _big_ the town was.

The spells would hold for a week, that was one thing that Rumplestiltskin, the Blue Fairy, and Regina could all agree on. A week and a half was the more hopeful estimate before Zoso was actually trapped, and the sheer amount of power that he’d brought with him had knocked a few days off that. Calling off the search that first night had been the hardest, because they felt like they’d barely begun when David had been the voice of reason and said that they’d need sleep.

It was generally accepted amongst them that Zoso should not remain unguarded even if the spell would hold. Mary Margaret and Grumpy had taken the first watch and while Bae had offered to take the second round, Tinker Bell and Ruby had jumped right in for it. He’d seen the relief flash across his father’s face before he’d turned away and opted not to mention it.

Henry was nearly stir crazy by that night with all the action going on just beyond his reach. He drilled his parents for every piece of information he could get until the adrenaline wore off in the wake of nothing being found yet and Emma guided him upstairs to the top floor. Bae glanced over to where his father was curled up on the far end of the couch - not quite removed from the conversation, but never taking part in it unless Henry put a specific question to him - and was going through a spellbook of some kind. Belle was leaned up against him asleep.

Rumplestiltskin must have felt his son’s eyes on him and looked up, offering Bae a tired smile. “All the energy of the worlds.”

“Pretty sure I never had that much,” Baelfire chuckled.

“Pretty sure you did.” Rumple eased the book closed with a finger marking his place, trying not to shift too much and wake Belle. She stirred a little, but didn’t fully come to even as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a more comfortable angle to lean in at. “So… Emma staying the night?”

“Maybe. It’s getting late.”

“Getting serious again then?”

Bae felt the blood rush to his face and he wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was the way his papa’s lips quirked up in a knowing fashion of the mischief that was hidden just beneath the usual guarded layers that he wore for everyone else. He wasn’t surprised that he knew that he and Emma were giving it another try - Hook hadn’t quite seemed to have gotten that memo, as when they’d relieved him of house-guarding duties he’d ducked in to whisper something clever in the blonde’s ear and she’d rolled her eyes -  but the idea of discussing the depth of his and Emma’s relationship - something he didn’t even really know - with his father seemed a bit daunting. He wasn’t sure why, though. If things hadn’t gone quite as awry as they had and he and his father had remained close over the years, he was sure these would have been the types of conversations they would have had when he was younger. He felt the heat fade from his face at the thought and settled into it. “I hope so,” he admitted softly.

Rumplestiltskin gave a small sound of acknowledgement, but didn’t say anything. Bae leaned forward, trying to catch his papa’s gaze again that had returned to the reopened book. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“I’ve always thought you’re quite clever, Bae, though I’ll admit I’m biased.”

Bae rolled his eyes and would have chucked a pillow in the elder man’s direction had Belle not been sleeping between them. “I mean for trying it again.”

“Does she make you happy?”

“Yeah.”

“And you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Then I fail to see where the question lies.”

Baelfire sighed. “I love her, but I left her. What if she can’t forget that? What if… in a week, a month, or even a year she wakes up and that’s all she can think about?”

“Well,” his papa said after a moment, dark eyes meeting Bae’s, “I have a bit of experience in chasing after the ones I love after making irreversible mistakes. I suppose that, in the end, all we can do is be determined to do better and hope that the person sees it for what it is.”

The younger man leaned back against the cushions of the couch at the opposite end of where his father and Belle were curled into and sighed. Emma was so guarded these days that she never would have just jumped into this on a whim. She was ready - or as ready as she’d ever be - and he was ready. They were going to give this a shot for better or worse.

He glanced back over to where his father was absently running his hands through Belle’s hair, probably not even noticing the gesture by the way he’d turned his attention back to the book in his lap to keep looking for whatever it was that he thought would help them discover where Zoso was keeping the dagger. “So what about you two?”

“Hmm?”

“You and Belle.”

“What about us?”

Bae rolled his eyes. His father was not a stupid man, but he certainly could pretend to be perfectly oblivious when it suited him. “When are you going to pull together the courage to ask her to marry you?”

Whatever Rumplestiltskin had been expecting from his son, it obviously wasn’t that. He jolted so badly that the book nearly fell from his lap and Belle startled awake at his side.  Bae had to swallow the bubbling laugh and he knew he should have felt more guilty than he did.

“Why don’t you head to bed, sweetheart? I’ll be in in just a moment,” Rumple promised her and she was still too caught up in sleep to say argue.

Baelfire watched her uncurl her legs from the couch, kiss his papa goodnight, and murmur something almost unintelligible to him. “Night, Belle,” he answered back, still pushing down his laughter at his father’s reaction. After everything, he could take just a moment to enjoy this little piece of normalcy.

That was until the pillow he’d eyed to toss in his papa’s direction hit him instead and he found dark eyes the same colour as his own narrowed in what he could only assume was an attempt at a glare. For the most feared sorcerer in the Enchanted Forest, Bae would have thought his father could have leveled a more intimidating glare than that. “What?” he asked innocently.

“You’re hilarious,” came the growl in return.

“It’s an honest question. You love her, right?”

“This is not a conversation that we’re having.”

“Sure it is.” Bae didn’t know that his self control was quite this good. He still hadn’t quite let the laugh out yet. He was grinning by this point, so broadly that his face was starting to hurt.

“We’ve trapped a previous Dark One that’s escaped a vault meant to keep his soul forever, he’s terrorizing Storybrooke, threatening our family and more, and you want to have _this_ conversation now?”

“You wanted to talk about Emma.”

“Nevermind.”

That finally shook away the building laughter. The word was bitten out and his papa was reaching for his cane, obviously intending to leave the conversation before it could go further. “You’re afraid,” Bae murmured as the thought crossed his mind and Rumplestiltskin froze. It was obvious enough that there were only a few people that still called him out on his fears, but for everything they’d been through, Bae thought he’d earned the right to be one of them. “Of what? That she’ll say no?”

Rumple let the cane lean back against the arm of the couch and he slumped back, not wanting to meet his son’s eyes. “Perhaps.”

Bae scooted closer and turned so that he could pull his legs up and cross them on the couch, fully facing the elder man. “Why?” He held his hands up in defence of the simple question at the sideways glare he received.

His papa loosed a long sigh. “Because I’m good at running people off, and someday she’ll see that,” he answered and Bae thought he was being honest.

“Papa…”

“I’ll do something foolish. Just wait.”

“Do you love her?”

“I do.”

“Then _trust_ her.”

Rumplestiltskin offered his only child a small smile and reached a hand out, Bae instantly taking it in what was quickly becoming a familiar gesture between them. The smile returned as he squeezed his father’s fingers. “And for what it’s worth, you’ve certainly got my blessing on it.”

A soft sigh escaped the elder man. “Thank you, Bae.”

“Any time, Pop.”

 

When they'd begun looking for Zoso's knife, he'd been as near to optimistic as he could be when the future refused to show him all the pieces. They had a week, and even Emma could cast a simple tracking spell. The first one had led them to a dead end, though. A red herring set up to throw them off. The second lead that had them searching through the mines and the third - that had finally surfaced on the beginning of the fifth day - instilled little hope in Rumplestiltskin. If they failed to find the duplicated dagger while Zoso was held, it would likely mean the death of everyone he loved and everyone that they loved.  He couldn't protect them all and sooner or later the elder Dark One would pick them off.

The sight of the snoozing dwarf and yawning fairy on guard duty didn't help alleviate any of the worry either. "Out," he snapped as he entered the sheriff's office and the dwarf nearly fell out of his chair, startled awake.

"B-but the prince said-" he tried to stutter out, but Rumplestiltskin leveled a glare dark enough to send him scurrying _behind_ Tinker Bell.

"I don't give a damn what your _charming_ sheep herder said. Get out."

Sleepy didn't argue again as he ran. The fairy, on the other hand, met his glare. Once she'd decided he wasn't going to release their prisoner she turned on heel and followed, leaving the two Dark Ones alone.

"Been a few days," Zoso mused. "Has the survivor in you finally won out? Here to change sides."

"You've already lost, Zoso. How you're dealt with once we find it - and we _will_ find it - depends on what you say right now.”

“Is that so? From where I’m sitting, it looks like you have me in a temporary cage. Nothing permanent.” He chuckled, his amber-gold eyes flickering to meet Rumple’s own dark ones. He stood slowly, coming as close as he dared to the ink-covered bars. “You know what I am, Rumplestiltskin, because you’re the same. You can’t keep me, you have to kill me, but you won’t risk that either. What good does it do you to turn one of your little pets into another Dark One? Perhaps your son? That would be _quite_ interesting, don’t you think? At least he’d know what his father gave to protect him.”

Rumplestiltskin stopped just shy of slamming his fists into the bars, checking his temper before it flew so out of control that it showed and before it got him into trouble. Instead, he let a smile stretch his lips, matching Zoso’s own and saw a flicker of irritation at it in the older man. “Here’s a bit of advice to you. Call it a thank you for the _gift_ you left me with three centuries ago. This lot loves to fix all the wrongs they see in the worlds. It’s quite an irritating trait, but one that can be used from time to time. If you ever want to get out of this cage-”

“And into another one without bars? You know as well as I do that’s what it is to be owned by someone. Don’t play your games with me, Rumplestiltskin. They won’t work.” The smile returned. “Here’s a bit for you: perhaps I’m where I want to be, in the end.”

A chill ran up his spine and the door opening behind him put an end to the conversation. Snow White walked in, all wide eyes and innocence. “Everything okay?” she asked cheerfully.

“Of course.”

“David said you weren’t answering your cell.”

         He waved it off. He hated the damn thing anyway. What use did a man who could be summoned by simply saying his name have with a cell phone anyway? “We’d agreed there should be two in here,” he said instead, searching for the ill-tempered dwarf that had accompanied her on every one of sit ins.

         “Grumpy is helping in the search.”

         “I’m staying with her,” came a new voice from behind and Rumple cringed inwardly. Time would do nothing to ease the hate he felt for the man.

         “Lovely,” the Dark One grumbled, sidestepping the pirate. “Try not to botch it up.”

         “Sitting and watching. What is there to botch up?” Hook asked irritably.

         Rumple only shot him a look in return before leaning so that he spoke directly into Snow’s ear. “Watch him,” he said and disappeared from the room. He let his magic carry him to the forest where his son, Emma, David, and Belle were searching after the newest lead that he feared was another dead end. At this point, if Zoso could keep them chasing their tails until the inevitability that was the spells weakening enough to release him, he’d be free and he and Rumplestiltskin would be the last ones standing.

         “There you are,” Belle’s voice sounded off to the side and she hopped over a fallen tree to greet him. “I thought you were coming with us when we left out this morning.”

         “I needed to take care of something,” he answered. “We’ve been following every dead end that has been dangled in front of us.”

         “Find any clarity?” she asked, her fingers intertwining with his.

         “Only the growing feeling that we’re being played.”

         “And you can’t find the angle?”

         “The pieces are still scattered, and Zoso _is_ clever.”

         “Not as clever as you are,” Belle murmured, tipping up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

         Rumplestiltskin felt the rush of True Love pour through him even with the brief contact and not for the first time since his and Bae’s conversation several nights before he felt a sense of wonder at how he’d put it off so long and if he even _could_ manage to put off spending the rest of his days with her by his side any longer. There was something about a vow that somehow seemed so _right_ with her, but he’d never been very good at doing the right thing.

_You’re still a man that makes wrong choices._

He could make the right one now. He could ignore the many excuses - valid, excuses, part of his mind reminded him, as they were looking for a dagger to control and/or kill a duplicated Dark One, and the lack of end plan made it all the more dangerous - and rise above the fear and uncertainty. As she pulled away, her clear blue eyes catching his, he felt his heart leap in his chest. “Belle, sweetheart,” he breathed, “this may not be the right time, but I need to ask you-”

“There you are!” Emma’s voice interrupted as she came crashing through the brush, Bae following behind her, though much quieter. “David’s been trying to reach you on your cell. We think we found something.”

“The dagger?”

“Looks like it, unless he created some sort of fake. We wanted you to take a look before jumping on it.”

A smirk perked his lips, despite the interruption. “Smart girl,” he praised. “Let’s have a look.”

“Rumple?” Belle called, catching his hand before he could move away. “What were you going to ask?”

He cringed. It would have to wait. If he wanted to protect her, protect Bae, protect them all, it would have to wait. “Later,” he promised and pressed a kiss to her forehead before following Emma through the brush.

 

         Snow had settled herself down into the spare desk chair for what was likely to be an uneventful morning. She’d been through three other shifts just like this one - though the others had been with Grumpy to keep her company - and nothing had happened. Zoso hadn’t even bothered to speak with her and she hadn’t been fool enough to engage him. Rumplestiltskin had always been dangerous, but only if crossed. This man felt he’d been crossed if a person were in the same vicinity.

         Hook had not actually been a part of this particular guard duty yet. He’d been guarding the house along with some of Robin’s men, but had agreed to accompany her instead when Grumpy was sent out with one of the search parties. She’d never known quite how to react to the one-handed pirate. There was no question that he was infatuated with her daughter, but how far that infatuation stretched she wasn’t sure. He didn’t seem to know that Emma and Neal were giving it a second chance - in his defence, very few people knew about that and Snow had only found out when she’d pushed the subject on one of the earlier patrols with her daughter - but he did seem honestly fond of Henry and she didn’t question his motives about keeping her grandson safe.

         “Thinking awful hard about something, Princess.”

         Snow startled at Zoso’s word and she turned her green eyes on him, watching. He was seated on the cot inside the holding cell - one that she had inhabited for a short time in what seemed like a lifetime ago - and he had a lazy sort of smile stretched across his face, as if he knew something that no one else did. Rumplestiltskin’s words to her as he’d left earlier echoed in her mind. At the time she’d thought he was referring to his distrust of the pirate, but the look that the caged Dark One wore now made her reevaluate her assessment of the warning.

         Zoso stood, coming to the bars and Hook perked from where he’d been leaned up against his good hand, half-asleep.

         “My murderer seemed to think that you’d want to fix me. Save my soul and all of that,” he continued, the smile never fading. “Is that what you’d want to do, Snow White? Do you believe people can actually change?”

         “I think anyone can change,” Snow answered carefully. “If they want to.”

         “Hmm.”

         “Plenty of people talk a good talk,” Hook said, suddenly wide awake. “If you think we’re just going to roll over and trust you, mate, you have another thing-”

         “I don’t need you to trust me,” Zoso said with a shrug. “In fact, I don’t need _you_ to do anything. Just her.”

         Snow felt herself go cold as those frighteningly gold eyes came to rest on her and something shifted in the room. Without warning the door to the cage popped open as if he could have walked out at any time. She remembered Rumplestiltskin warning them that he could have left his own cage in the mines whenever he’d liked, but he was where he needed to be for when the curse was brought down around them. _Watch him._ Zoso. He’d definitely meant Zoso.

         Hook had his gun out in an instant, but the Dark One waved it away before a shot even went off, and the pirate made it halfway to him before he was flung hard across the room and through the glass that surrounded the sheriff’s private office. Snow could only watch in horror as he landed hard, slamming into filing cabinets and finally falling limp to the floor and out of view. He did not stand back up and Zoso was in front of her by the time she thought to turn and look at him.

         “Don’t think about it,” he murmured as her eyes flickered over to her bow just a few feet away. One hand gripped her chin and he lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling in the air and the scream choked off. She struggled until she felt a pain that she’d hoped never to feel again in her life. Dark magic tingled through her limbs as he shoved his hand through her chest, gripping her still-beating heart and pulled.

 

 

 

 


	26. Chapter 26

When Killian had been very young, he’d wanted to be like his father. He couldn’t understand the sad sort of look in his mother’s eyes every time he said so, but his father would lift him up in his arms and put him up on his shoulders and somehow the world became a better place, no matter the troubles. They’d spend hours looking out into the ocean’s waves and his papa would tell him about all the places that they would go, all the lands that they would see. They could be free and he could give his sons everything that they desired. His father had been his hero in those days.

         Then his father let him down. They were going on an adventure, he’d told Killian, and then left him behind. He drank a lot in those days, and perhaps the hero worship should have died off a little sooner than it did, but letting go of a childhood hero is always hard, especially when it’s a child realizing that his papa wasn’t everything that he thought he was. He made it though, and when he finally understood the way things were he changed his aim. His father had been a scoundrel, a scallywag, but his big brother was a good man. Liam was a worthy recipient of his younger brother’s affections, and though other boys might look to their fathers for their future, Killian looked to his brother as his new hero. He’d joined the King’s Navy and he did what was right. “When you’re old enough, I’ll make sure you are put where you’re needed,” Liam had promised. “Someday, we’ll sail the seas together.”

         He’d made good on that promise, unlike their father, and Killian had worked hard. He’d given everything up for it and they’d been happy until the day that his brother had died. It had been at that point that Killian had decided that the notion of heroism was severely overrated. They’d been used by their king and their blind trust in what was _good_ had gotten the only person he had left killed. Not that being a rogue had saved him any heartache particularly. It would be ironic, he found himself thinking as he heard the heavy footsteps coming towards him, if he were killed by _another_ Dark One, when Rumplestiltskin had been the one he thought would end him.

         “Who would have thought that a pirate would have found a place with a group of self-proclaiming heroes?” Zoso murmured. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. They even take cowards. Not a very discerning lot, are they?”

         Hook winced, trying to sit up and failing miserably. He hurt all over, but he supposed with the way he hit he should be grateful he could feel anything at all. “You’d be surprised… what a ragtag bunch can do,” he managed and felt something pop painfully as he shifted.

         “You’ve been watching over the boy for the last few days, hmm? Baelfire’s son. I think it’s time I meet him, don’t you?”

         “Stay away from him,” Hook growled out and somewhere he found enough strength to pull himself up. He’d made it to his knees - the speed at which he was moving slow enough to prove Zoso wasn’t in any particular hurry - and he felt the same invisible locks tighten around his battered body and lift. He hadn’t gotten a view of the damage he’d done to the office before, but as he took in the shattered glass window he thought that he might have actually gotten off lucky. Not that that would hold in the position he was currently in.

“I don’t think I will.” Zoso barely moved his fingers, but Killian was slammed back with such speed and force that he felt everything pulse dangerously around him. The second blow, though, made him go limp and as darkness closed in he thought he could hear him walking away saying, “Come along, Snow White.”

        

 

         “Mama said stay ‘way from the blinds.”

         “Mama?” Henry echoed, looking over at Roland who was seated on the couch with his legs folded neatly on the cushion like it was his own little raft. Little Leo was in the crib just next to the couch, snoozing happily and oblivious to the danger that surrounded them, or at least, the danger that was supposed to have surrounded them. Zoso had been locked up, but the adults had nearly lost it when Henry had suggested that they should be released from the house arrest that they felt like they were under for their own safety. Not until he was dealt with entirely, that was the consensus. Well, at least they’d found _something_ they could all agree on.

         “Regina.”

         Henry choked back a sound of surprise. Maybe his mom and Robin were closer than he thought. “When did you start calling her mama?” he asked carefully.

         The little boy shrugged. “I haven’t called _her_ that yet, but I don’t have a mama, and if I did, I’d want it to be her.”

         Regina’s adopted son felt a warmness spread through his chest and he let the curtains fall back into place as he moved to take a seat next to Roland. “Guess that makes you my little brother, huh?”

         Roland beamed. “Really?”

         “Well, Regina _is_ my mom.”

         “How’d you get two moms?”

         “It’s a long story,” Henry murmured as the buzzing phone on the table caught his attention. He crossed the space, seeing his grandmother’s name flash across the screen and slid his finger across the touch screen. “Hey, Grandma Snow! Anything new?”

“Everything’s okay now, Henry,” his grandma said from the other end, “but I need to talk to you. Can you come let me in? Your grandfather’s wards won’t let me onto the property.”

“My…Okay. Be out in just a minute. We’re changing Leo.”

He hung up the phone and met Roland’s confused expression. “No we’re not.”

“I know, but something’s wrong with Grandma Snow. She never calls my grandpa my grandpa. She calls him Rumplestiltskin. I don’t think she really likes to admit that I’m related to him unless it’s convenient.” He glanced back at the window and picked Leo up from his crib. “Remember how I told you to hold him?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, take him upstairs and don’t go near any windows. My dad’s room is the furthest one to the right down the hall on the second floor. Close the door, don’t come out until someone’s in the house, got it? Only people on our side can come in, Grandpa made sure of it.”

“Where are you going?”

“To see if everything’s okay.”

Henry watched the little boy that was quickly becoming his younger brother take his baby nephew around into the hall and he could hear him trudging up the stairs with his load. He didn’t know what was wrong with his Grandma Snow, but if something terrible had happened he needed to find out. He sucked in  a deep breath and opened the door, taking the stairs down the porch two at a time and flashing her his biggest grin while he waved.

She didn’t wave back and a cold chill settled in. Good thing he’d closed the door behind him. His grandpa had told him that would seal the protection spell back up. As he got closer he could see tears streaming down her face and a tortured sort of expression plastered there. “Henry,” she breathed.

“So you’re the boy,” a new voice said from behind him and Henry whirled to see Zoso looming over him. He’d seen him on Main Street when he’d brought everyone to be his audience. He’d left his grandpa bleeding in the street, but Rumplestiltskin had gotten the last blow in on that fight. He’d proved that love was stronger than hate when his protection spell that he’d cast over Belle had sent Zoso flying back. Henry had heard the discussion between the adults and the conclusion had come that the spells that rested over the house would be enough to keep him safe. There was no need for an individual spell that would only pull from Rumplestiltskin’s much depleted magical reserves. He’d left the house now, though, and he was staring up at a man that radiated evil like his grandpa never had. His grandpa was dark, sure, but there was nothing like _this_ attached to him.

“What’d you do to Grandma Snow?” Henry demanded, forcing his voice to remain steady.

“She helped me a bit, just as you will now.”

“I’m not going to help you do anything,” the teen answered, taking a step back.

“I think you are. See, your grandmother here has lost her heart, and she needs someone like you to get it back for her. You wouldn’t want her to go without a heart, would you, Henry?”

Dark eyes stared wildly at the beating half-heart in the demon’s hand. It was so pure looking and Henry couldn’t help but feel a bit of fear creep in - okay, more than a bit - and he tried desperately to push it down. “Okay. I’ll go with you. Just.. Don’t hurt her.”

A smile stretched Zoso’s lips. “That’s a deal I’ll make with you boy,” he said before reaching out and taking him by the arm. “Once we’re done, I’ll return this to her. For now, I think we need some insurance, don’t you?”

“Grandma!” Henry tried to cry out, but they were gone, pulled through magic that he couldn’t break free from.

 

Rumplestiltskin turned the weapon over in his hands, expert fingers running along each crevice in exploration. The wound that the dagger had opened in him burned was he handled it, almost as if the poisonous blow it had dealt him was trying to work its way back through his system. This was most certainly the duplicated dagger. Nothing else would have caused that sort of reaction in him.

"There were only so many places he could hide it," David said, looking over Rumple's shoulder at it.

"Now comes the truly tricky part: deciding what to do with it." All eyes turned to Robin Hood - he and Regina had been the ones to actually find it and call the others over - and the weight that his words carried brought a very small smile to Rumplestiltskin's lips. The rogue seemed to know that this was no easy decision. With that blade they'd be deciding the fate of the one whose name it bore. Likely that would include the heroes of their little group proclaiming it was right and just to keep the man a slave. Oh, they wouldn't call it that, of course. They'd come up with some lofty words to make themselves feel better when in the end tough decisions would need to be made. It appeared Robin understood that. Perhaps Regina had chosen more wisely than he had thought.

"Not sure there is much of a choice," Emma said tightly, and it sounded like she may have understood as well. She'd spent a fair amount of time the past week or more with Bae. If anyone would understand, it was Rumple's son.

Bae reached over and his father relinquished the weapon carefully, the pain easing immediately once his fingers left the cursed blade. "There's no way to funnel the curse into an inanimate object, is there? I mean, it does transfer through the blade, right?"

His son was clever, and he wondered how many ideas he'd revisited in the past weeks on how to do away with the curse entirely. Rumplestiltskin remembered countless drawings and ideas in the earliest days of his curse, his son determine to free him of it. If he’d simply knelt down and let the boy press a kiss to his forehead, would that have been enough? "If the dagger itself were the holder of the power, perhaps, but it's transferred through both the dagger and the act. They must be in equal parts."

Bae frowned thoughtfully, still inspecting it.

"Regardless, we're pushing our luck," Regina murmured. “Those spells won’t hold forever.”

Several people jumped as Emma cell phone rang out, the loud tune cut off as she answered. Her eyes immediately narrowed. "Hook? Hook, I can't understand... Killian?" She shot a worried look over to Bae. "I think we need to get over there."

Regina and Rumple exchanged looks before he nodded and all seven of them were instantly transported to the town hall in a swirl of red and purple smoke. The office was in shambles with the cell door hanging wide open.

Killian Jones was slumped against one of the spare desks, the phone dangling by its chord against the floor and he appeared to be unconscious. Though, if he had been the one to do the damage to the back office, it was a wonder he'd been able to drag himself out at all. Even his heavy leathers had not saved him entirely from the glass biting through his skin and one arm was bent at an awkward angle. From the looks of it, he'd dragged himself into the main room, determined to get ahold of someone.

Emma was knelt down in front of him. "Killian? Hey, open your eyes. Come on," she urged, one hand going to check his pulse and blue eyes slid open.

He stared at her a moment, likely trying to bring her into focus, and the smile that he tried for split his lip for all his efforts. "Hey beautiful," he slurred.

Belle grabbed Rumple's hand as they stood back with Regina and Robin, giving Bae room to take a seat in the floor, Zoso's dagger still carefully clutched in his hand. "Killian. You okay?"

"Remains to be seen," the pirate managed, coming a bit closer to coherency and finding pain waiting for him. "What happened?"

"Looks like Zoso broke free," Regina murmured from her place.

That seemed to bring Hook around and it took both Emma's and Bae's hands to keep him from flailing.  

"Hook, what happened to Mary Margaret?" David asked hesitantly, the evenness of his tone sounding forced.

"He took her," the pirate said through a wince. "I'm sorry, David. I tried..."

"I know," the prince answered.

"What did he want with Mary Margaret?" Belle asked carefully. She and the doe-eyed princess had become closer during Rumplestiltskin's time in Zelena's cage. Her expression showed nothing of the fear Rumple could feel in the way her hand tightened around his.

"Henry," Hook answered, his gaze going to each of the teen's parents in turn. "He wants Henry."

“Like hell he’s getting him,” Emma snapped. “How is he using Mary Margaret to-”

“He took my heart.”

Everyone on their feet spun nearly in unison at the soft voice. Snow White stood in the doorway, tears streaking down her face and the most tortured look in her eyes that any of them had ever seen.

“He forced me to call Henry… I’m so sorry. Emma, Zoso has him. I couldn’t….”

David was at her side in an instant, holding her up and wrapping his arms around her neck.

“Zoso has Henry?” Regina managed, her voice as strained as the expression she wore now. She whirled on Baelfire. “Call him. Now. We’re ending this.”

“We most certainly are,” Rumplestiltskin answered before his son could say anything, “but not by calling him here.”

“Papa-”

“No, Bae. I’ve let this go on long enough.” He reached a hand out, palm outward. “The dagger, son.”

Bae’s expression said that he knew it wasn’t a request, but he didn’t hand it directly to him either. “What are you going to do, Papa?”

“End this,” the Dark One bit out. “I’m going to end this and I’m going to end him before he can hurt my grandson.”

The protests were only half out as the duplicated dagger vanished from Bae’s hand and into Rumplestiltskin’s, the elder man disappearing as soon as his fingers gripped it. They’d be angry, certainly, but it didn’t matter. None of it did. If he didn’t kill Zoso now the older Dark One would go after everyone he loved and it was only a matter of time. They didn’t understand what he was capable of, what the curse would drive him to do and he didn’t care to stop it. His heart needed to cease beating for any of the others to live, and as much as he loathed to admit it, Rumple was the only one that had a chance of coming out on top of the Dark One Curse, though the pragmatist in him knew that the likelihood of retaining even a sliver of his humanity against two raging curses was beyond reasonable hope. For his family, though, he was willing to sell what was left of his soul to keep them safe.


	27. Chapter 27

“You’re not going to win.”

Zoso turned to look at him, something that Henry could only guess at flashing through his eyes. He’d met evil before. Pan had been the worst, of course, and closest encounter, but sitting with his back against the trunk of a tree, glaring up at the Dark One that had taken him captive, the teen couldn’t find any shred of what might have once been there of his humanity. Not for the first time, he saw nothing in common between Zoso and his grandpa, even though they shared the same soul-shredding curse.

A smile stretched, quirking his lips up in a way that still made Henry uncomfortable, but he struggled not to show it. “And why’s that?”

“Because good wins every time.”

“Bit of a naive statement, I’d say.”

“I’ve seen it. You’re going to lose.”

“And how is that?”

“They’ll find your dagger.”

“And then? Child, if you don’t think I’ve learned to manipulate those around me to do what I wish… I’ll have some poor, desperate soul steal it back in a heartbeat, and then I’ll kill you all.”

Henry had heard his grandfather warn his father of the exact same thing, but something about the scenario coming from Zoso sent a chill down his spine.

“And they can’t kill me, lest they wish to simply exchange one Dark One for another. Have you ever seen raw, uncontained rage, boy?” He was down on one knee now, the palm of his hand pressed against the bark just over Henry’s head and he leaned in, speaking the words directly into his face and watching for the fear that the teen couldn’t contain. “When you first take on the curse, there’s a darkness that boils up in you, taints your very soul to the point that you don't even know yourself. If you ever loved anyone before the power courses through your veins they’re nothing next to it.” A smirk tilted his lips. “When the curse takes over, you’d even rip your True Love’s heart from her chest and crush it, laughing.”

“True Love’s more powerful than any curse,” Henry argued.

“Really? Where did you hear that?”

“My grandpa says it’s the most powerful magic in existence.”

“Rumplestiltskin says that?” Zoso asked and Henry tried to pull away only to find that he couldn’t. “Interesting. Last I saw, all his love has done for him is make him weak. I’d say that’s why you’re here with me now.”

“My family’s coming for me. You’re going to lose.”

He tapped the side of Henry’s face. “I’ll make sure to give you the chance to see just how wrong you are.”

 

 

“I’m going to end this and I’m going to end him before he can hurt my grandson.”

Baelfire couldn’t hold onto it. He wouldn't have known how if it had occurred to him to do so. The dagger was in his hand one moment and gone the next, as was his father. The man that had raised him, loved him, betrayed him, searched for him, and then finally refused to let go disappeared before his eyes just like the dagger had from his palm and he didn’t have to have the ability to search the future to know he was about to do something terribly foolish that neither he nor Belle could ever condone. He might have all the best intentions in all the worlds, but he’d had those when he took on the Dark One’s curse to begin with.

_Can you imagine me with those powers, Bae? I could turn it for good. I’ll save all the children of the Frontlands! Not just you, my boy._

His papa wasn’t after any way to save a multitude of children - just as he hadn’t been on that terrible day - but one, and if there was one gift he’d received on his fourteenth birthday it was knowledge. Knowledge that his papa would do anything to save the ones he loved, and today that included Henry.

“He _always_ does that! Where the hell did he go?” Emma managed, gawking at the spot where Rumplestiltskin had just stood. He hadn’t even bothered with his usual distractions before flickering out of sight.  

Somehow Bae knew. He’d seen that same determination in his eyes the night that he’d set fire to the duke’s castle. The fear that accompanied it was better hidden now, but it had been there, buried deep behind all his layers of protection that he’d learned to set up over his three centuries of practice.  When he spoke, it was without giving himself permission to do so, and his voice left his lips in barely a whisper. “He’s going to take the duplicated curse into himself.”

The words set off a collections of voiced thoughts from the others that Bae couldn’t quite make out, but once they had settled, Regina’s stood out. “He can’t.”

“I’m not sure I see why not,” Emma murmured. “He’s already got one. Why hadn’t we pushed this idea to begin with? Is there some rule that says only one curse per person?”        

“We had talked about it,” her father answered, his voice taught with understanding. “He won’t come out of it.”

“Will it kill him?”

“He’ll lose himself,” Belle whispered, breaking her silence. “Rumple has always kept a piece of himself from before the curse. I think - though all I can do is guess - that it’s because he took on the curse for you, Bae, that he was able to do that. In my recent studies I haven’t seen any evidence that any other Dark One before him has been able to achieve this.”

“Because he took the curse for me,” Bae breathed, feeling his chest tighten.

“If he’s taking it to save Henry won’t that create the same loophole?” Emma asked and Bae felt a glimmer of hope. His father was the king of loopholes. If there was one that showed itself even for an instant, his clever mind would latch onto it and take hold, using it and manipulating it to his own purpose.

“I don’t think even he can shield himself against two curses,” Regina said, and her voice was almost sad. “It may double his power, but it’ll rip apart anything left of the Rumplestiltskin we know.”

“We have to stop him. There’s got to be another way to save Henry,” Bae answered, feeling very much like the fourteen year old boy that had stood out and watched his father - a man he’d loved and looked up to more than any other - turn into a monster before his eyes. He couldn’t do it again. They’d be able to save Henry and save his papa too. They had to. If they couldn’t, what was their purpose, anyway? What the hell was the point of a Happy Ending or somesuch nonsense that only the powerful of his time really believed in. He and his papa hadn’t had that luxury when he was a child. They’d barely scraped by until he’d sold his soul to protect the only person he truly loved. They weren’t in the Enchanted Forest anymore. Storybrooke was their kind of hope, somewhere terribly in between. If he couldn’t save them both, he wanted nothing to do with any of it anymore.

“True Love’s kiss,” David murmured. “Didn’t he say that would break the curse?”

“But it _hasn’t_ broken his curse here,” Belle argued, despair just barely creeping into her voice.

“That’s because it was taken on in the Enchanted Forest,” Regina countered. “This one would be here.”

“What, are you suggesting that we let my dad _do_ this?” Bae growled.

“I can follow him,” the former queen answered with a shrug. “That’s no trouble at all. He didn’t bother to hide his trail. We just send Belle here up to him as soon as he’s killed Zoso and she kisses him and there we go. True Love conquers all.” She paused. “I cannot believe I just said that. Look what you’re doing to me,” she grumbled towards Robin and he offered a very small smile despite himself.

“And if it doesn’t work I lose my father again and possibly my son when he can’t control it,” Bae bit out. Why couldn’t he make them understand? He’d seen this before. He knew what the beginnings of that curse brought on. He’d thought he was next when Rumplestiltskin had snapped Hordor’s neck and slit open the remaining soldiers around him. There had been no stopping him, except - he knew now - that tiny sliver of himself he kept for his son’s sake, and he didn’t dare ask what sort of deal he’d made with the curse to retain _that_. No, if he took on that duplicated curse, he could very easily kill Henry without ever consciously knowing that he was doing so. Zoso had backed him into a corner by taking his grandson and Rumplestiltskin was reacting. When cornered, he’d always lash out in this way. Not much had changed in three hundred years.

“I can do this, Bae,” Belle answered, taking a step towards him.

“Until he kills you too. You guys don’t get it. You haven’t seen what the beginning of this curse does to a person.”

“Your papa’s taken the choice out of our hands,” Hook managed from his place, looking perfectly miserable.

Emma reached forward and took his hand. “We have to try, Neal.”

He felt her squeeze his fingers and he knew his smile for her failed. He turned his gaze to his father’s love and she did manage one, tinged heavily with pain. “I left him in that cellar, Bae. I left him alone and a prisoner when I should have walked straight into that cage and at least tried to free him from it. I won’t let him live in this new cage. Even if it kills me, I have to try. I love him too much not to.”

"Okay," he breathed, not liking it in the slightest, but his father had already taken the decision out of his hands, the least he could do was give Belle hers.

 

 

Rumplestiltskin had found over his centuries of experience that to get what he wanted he often needed to work in extremes. Sometimes that included years upon years of carefully and intricately laid plans and sometimes it was an act of utter desperation. The Dark Curse had taken about as long as he could strain his patience. Generations of pawns had been wrapped up into it until he could groom more worthy pieces for the game. By the time he had them he had the board perfectly set and he'd executed the plan that had picked up an entire group of people and put them into a land that held no magic. It was the land his son had gone to and it had been worth every deal, every pain, and every splatter of blood that stained his hands, if directly or indirectly.

The event that had driven Baelfire away, though, had been an act of utter desperation and so very, very poorly planned as he looked back at it. Sure, he’d thought it well enough through that he didn’t march straight into the castle like a bumbling fool. Rumple had never been dense, though the years had certainly sharpened his wit to a fine point that he never would have been able to develop it into as the cowardly spinner in the Frontlands. Even a cowardly spinner could set fire to a castle made in part of wood. It was the part that followed after that he hadn’t put enough contemplation into. Zoso had been right about him then. He had been a desperate soul, pinned in by time that had pushed him into a corner, and men with power that had threatened his son. Hordor would have taken him that day, he knew, because he’d stopped him. With the power of the Dark One, a deal he didn’t know the depths of, he had stopped him. He could work even a desperate situation to his advantage. If he were honest with himself now, though, he felt that same desperation that he’d felt all those years ago building inside of him. All he could hope for now was that this was a little better planned than the first attempt.

Rumplestiltskin gripped the dagger in his hand, steadying his resolve. Strange, but it seemed that he spent more time being willing to push the limits for Henry than actually knowing his grandson. He knew that the boy had tried to reach out to him while he’d been ill and it had set a calming warmth deep in his chest when he’d sat with him that night. He’d have curled up  on the bed and slept with him all night long if Belle hadn’t ushered him upstairs. In so many ways he reminded him of Baelfire at that age.

He’d let the dagger guide him to where its slave was. He assumed Zoso would know that someone had it - after all, he’d felt it drop to the cabin floor when Regina and Robin had stolen it away from Zelena - but he wouldn’t do anything to Henry yet. A dead boy did not work well as bait, and bait he was to lure his grandfather to him. It was an obvious trap and one that Rumplestiltskin was willingly walking into .

The magic delivered him into the forest and Zoso tensed at the dark presence that Rumple didn’t bother to hide. He was bent over his grandson and the younger Dark One had to suppress a smile. Henry had been giving him a run for it, he was certain. Good boy. He was so very, very brave.

“Rumplestiltskin,” Zoso greeted as he straightened up. He had Henry pinned by magic to where he was leaned up against the trunk of a tree and the teen’s dark eyes met his grandfather’s.

“Step away from him, if you’d please,” Rumple commanded and his predecessor had no choice. He remembered the way that the curse would move his limbs when Zelena used the dagger on him. His mind would scream against and he thought _this time_ he could resist it. He’d tried, and the only times he’d been able to ignore it fully was when his son’s mind had been trapped within his own. Bae was damn good at being obstinate against the curse and he’d helped him fight it.

“Grandpa!” Henry called out and Rumplestiltskin caught Zoso’s flicker just before he was actually able to move and any regret he’d felt over using the dagger control him vanished.

“Stop,” he growled and the older Dark One froze immediately. Rumple held up the dagger and took a steady step forward, a spell keeping his right ankle sturdy beneath him. He didn’t dare look directly at Henry right now, but focused entirely on the elder man who had taken his grandson from him. This had to be done. “You will not cause any harm - physically, mentally, or otherwise - to Henry.” Specificity. It was most certainly needed in this situation. Zelena had understood that, sadly enough. He’d hated her for it and part of him hated himself for it now, but Zoso had crossed the line when he’d gone after his family. Some things were unforgivable and if he let him live he would only continue to haunt them. “Release him from the binding spell.”

Zoso’s hand twitched and Henry was on his feet. His eyes were wide at the power a knife could carry with it and he turned that awed gaze to his grandpa. “What-”

“Go, Henry.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What needs to be done. Go.”

The teen paused, hesitating, and Rumplestiltskin tensed as his hand went out and gripped his coat sleeve. “I don’t want to leave you,” he managed and he must have known somehow. He must have known that Rumple didn’t think he was coming back from this, or at least that he couldn’t ever risk coming anywhere close to his family again. He thought he could get across the townline from here and perhaps throwing himself into the Land Without Magic would save them. He might not remember or he might simply die from it, he didn’t know, but they would be safe. He wouldn't let the curse that he’d taken on to save his son’s life kill them.

“You must. Go on.”

“Will you come too?”

A lie nearly tipped off his tongue and he couldn’t bare to in that moment. Instead his lips thinned out and he motioned. “Go.”

Zoso chuckled from his place. “Come to make a deal you don’t understand, Rumplestiltskin?”

“I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“You’ll lose whatever piece of yourself you managed to hold onto.”

“You didn’t seem to mind that notion.”

“I didn’t bother to hang on to any weaknesses like you did, spinner.”

Henry still hadn’t moved and Rumple knew he was getting a pretty clear picture of what was about to happen. He didn’t want him anywhere near it. He could sense Regina pulling the others through just over a hill and instantly he vanished his grandson to them. “I fear you and I will simply have to disagree on the definition of weakness,” he murmured, “as for the second time I hold your dagger. I could keep it and keep you a slave.”

“But you won’t.”

The Seer had told him once that he’d be able to sort through the pieces of time and tell what could be from what would be. The image of his family dead might just be a fear or it might be the future if he let this man live. He couldn’t risk being wrong. “You’re right. I won’t.”

He could just barely hear his name called out as he stepped forward, buried the dagger deeply into Zoso’s chest and the other man couldn’t even fight back. He felt the raw power of a second curse coursing through his veins. It washed over and through him until it finally drowned out Bae and Belle’s frantic cries. He’d forgotten how intoxicating that first rush was and as it found his original curse he could feel it fill him like he never thought possible. He was unstoppable now. Nothing could kill him, nothing could control him. There would be no further Dark Ones because Rumplestiltskin would be the final one. Truly, he’d found the ultimate power that should have never been. It was dark and it was potent. In that moment he couldn’t imagine why he’d ever feared _anything_ ever before.

“Rumple?”

The sound of her voice brought the high crashing down and the darkness bubbled inside of him. _Crush her_ , it said. _She’s nothing._ He was ready to reach out and do it too, but her eyes met his, unwavering and brave and for just a moment love pushed back the overriding darkness and he struggled to regain the part of him that was slipping so very quickly away. _He_ was slipping away. “Belle,” he gasped out and it was everything he could do to hold onto his own mind.

“Rumple? Are you okay?” she asked, but something in her voice said she knew the answer.

“Belle, I can’t keep it back,” he managed. It saw her as a threat. It _knew_ she was a threat. She was the woman that had quietly and steadily worked her way into his closed off heart, the one who could make him feel whole and safe like none other could. He wanted to be better for her, stronger for her, and he was willing to give everything for her if she asked, but now… Well, he was a man that made wrong choices, wasn’t he? He’d wanted to spend the rest of his days with her. She’d deserved a ring and anything else she wanted to go with it, but now she wouldn’t have it from him. He could do nothing for her beyond give her the same warning he’d given her when Zelena had kept him caged. “Run.”

“I’m not leaving you this time.”

“Please, Belle,” he begged and he could feel it rising up within him, crashing and pulling him into the depths. He couldn’t keep fighting it. It owned him all now and not even his love could keep part of his soul to himself. It didn’t matter how strong that love was, the curses together were stronger and he felt himself slip over the edge.

 

 


	28. Chapter 28

Belle had spent her years growing up with her nose stuck in a book. Her mother had encouraged it, and by the time that she passed, Maurice hadn’t been able to stop it. If she was going to be trapped in a castle for the rest of her days and destined to live in a loveless marriage - to a man that she didn’t necessarily hate, but had less personality than the stones that made up the castle walls - then she would have at least one escape. Then the ogres had come and so had Rumplestiltskin. Not even her boundless imagination could have come up with what had followed.

Looking back, she couldn’t be certain when she had fallen in love with him. Theirs was most certainly not love at first sight. It had never been that easy for them, and she didn’t think his curse would allow for that. Perhaps the first time that she’d seen the glimmer of the man that she’d come to know over the years might have been when he realized that his escaping thief was a father and his aim had gone awry. On purpose. He’d denied it, of course, but Belle knew better. She’d seen the look in his eyes and she’d put the information back to think on and turn over in the privacy of her own mind. She’d found clothing that had belonged to his son at one point, and an old walking stick that had notches dug into it to mark the same boy’s growth. By the time he’d thrown her out, she’d peeled back several layers and somewhere in there she’d found a man that she could love. A man she _did_ love.

Storybrooke had been a wild adventure of magic filtering through and pirates and lost memories. She was quite certain she’d never expected Peter Pan to be such a terrible villain, or to lose her love that day. They’d taken every moment they could to love each other during those days, reaching for them and sometimes Rumple had pushed other things aside that perhaps he shouldn’t  have. He was sweet, in his way, and she knew him well enough to recognize it. He had his own brand of kindness meant for only a few and for those he would pull the worlds apart or put them back together, whichever they’d prefered.

Belle had hated herself when she’d left him in that damp, smelly cellar. He’d been caged and in pain. His son was dead and she’d reached out to him, begging him to believe in their love. He had and then she’d run. She’d been driven away by fear and she wouldn’t let it happen again. “I’m not leaving you this time,” she told him firmly. She was only a few steps away now and she could _feel_ the darkness around him.  It felt like being caught in a terrible storm and she couldn’t imagine that the sun was shining overhead. His eyes were gold, not their usual dark brown and they were wild. She’d seen that look only a collection of times in the Enchanted Forest. It was the look that came before he did something truly terrible, truly horrific.

He was begging her to go, just as he had from his cage, except this time his own curse was likely ordering her death.

“Rumplestiltskin,” she pressed and she reached forward. It felt like something was pushing her back, keeping them apart. It seemed to be the story of their relationship, though. Every time they got close something would tear them apart. It could be a foolish action or a terrible tragedy. She’d lost count on how many times it had happened, but she refused to let it happen again. She finally caught hold of his hand and the winds seemed to ease just a little. “Rumple.”

He turned to her and for just a moment his gaze reminded her of the moment of clarity he’d had in the cage in his own castle before Snow had cast the curse. She tried to smile for him, but the fear fell back into place. “Please, Belle,” he said again and there was such desperation. “I don’t… Please. I can’t hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

“I will.”

She reached up, her hand against his cheek. Despite the raging darkness in his soul he leaned into it, his eyes lulling and she took the moment. “You won’t,” Belle whispered and tipped up on her toes to press her lips against his. He jerked, as if he meant to pull back at first, but her free hand came to the other side of his face and she held him there, deepening the kiss until she felt the rush that they both knew. She’d seen what it looked like and even those without magic could see the faint gust of it when True Love washed through and outward from a couple. It really was the most powerful magic in all the realms.

Belle didn’t pull back, didn’t let him break away until she felt his arms go around her. One hand buried itself in her thick hair and the other was at the small of her back, fingers gripped tightly into the material as if she were his anchor. Finally, after a length of time she couldn’t hope to guage, she pulled back, hovering closer and feeling him hold her so that he nearly lifted her off the ground. Briefly a memory caught her of them walking through the woods and towards the wishing well. She remembered that she loved him and that he loved her too.

         Blue eyes flickered up and met brown. Relief washed through her as purely as the True Love magic had. “Rumple,” she breathed and kissed him again. “I love you. I love you so much.”

         He clung to her. “And I you,” he rasped, his voice raw as if he’d spent the last week screaming at the top of his lungs. “It worked.”

         “And you let it,” she teased softly, kissing him again. He didn’t seem to want to release her and, truth be told, she didn’t want to be released, but the others were making their way closer, Bae having been just behind her to begin with. She moved so that she stood to his right, one arm wrapped around his back and she felt him lean a bit into her, the spell he’d obviously been using to keep himself steady wearing slowly off.

         “Hey Papa,” Bae greeted tentatively. “You okay?”

         “I think so,” came the surprisingly honest response. “Thanks to Belle.”

         She felt her face heat. “I didn’t do anything.”

         “You did everything,” he countered and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

         Henry came flying down the hill now like he was in a race. He nearly took both Rumple and Belle down in his haste as he wrapped his arms around his grandpa’s middle. “I told him you’d win. Heroes don’t lose.”

         Rumplestiltskin stiffened a little. “I’m hardly a hero, Henry. Best you put that notion out of your mind.”

         “Well, you’re not evil,” Henry answered with all the confidence of a teenager and certainly more wisdom.

         Bae crouched down into the leaves and picked up the discarded dagger. He held it up, showing the smooth steel. “Nice work, Belle.”

“Two cures: death and True Love,” she said with a laugh and tightened her grip on her own love.  "I preferred the latter."

"What about Mary Margaret's heart?"  David asked.

“Zoso was keeping it over here,” Henry offered, releasing his grandpa so that he could pull a pouch out of a hiding place. He held it up and his gramps took it from him, a quirked smile as a thank you. “So why does it look like she only has half a heart?”

Belle couldn’t help but smile even as she tightened her hold on the man at her side, leaning up against him. He was watching everything around him like someone coming out of a dream, though with what they had just been through - what they had _all_ been through in the past year - it might as well have been a nightmare. He gave a heavy sigh and she squeezed again, feeling him wince. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” he answered automatically.

“So… You were trying to ask me something earlier. You know, before all hell broke loose. Again.”

This tugged a smile from him and he chuckled, the sound low and it made her smile as well. “Story of our lives.”

“Seems to be, but I think it’s worth it.”

“Every bit. Fighting for it makes True Love stronger, you know.”

“I had heard that before.” She leaned into him a little. “What were you going to ask? It sounded important.”

Rumple stiffened a little, eyes flickering to where everyone was moving about, Mary Margaret holding tightly to Henry like she might not let go and Bae glanced over, causing his papa to look back to the ground. “What is it?” she pushed, feeling his silence weigh and it made her nervous.

“I suppose the time will never be right, will it?” he breathed. “I keep thinking that we’ll slow down for a moment, that… That I can actually do this right.”

“Do what right?”

He turned to look at her then, his dark eyes full of emotions that she couldn’t completely decipher. There was so much love there, and hope, and yes even a little fear. Okay, maybe a lot of fear. He was so nervous and the smooth words were put away in a fashion that only seemed to follow an argument in which he had to admit she’d been right. “I love you,” he began, one hand coming to the side of her face, “and I never want to lose you.”

“You won’t, Rumple. Our love just did away with a pretty nasty curse, didn’t it? It can defeat anything that blocks our path.”

“I mess everything up, given time.” She kissed him again and a small smile returned to his lips. “Will you marry me?” he asked, the words pushed together almost as if they wouldn’t have come out separately.

Belle felt the world stop and she didn’t even hear the soft chuckle from Baelfire just a few feet away. She stared at him, finding those dark eyes that she knew so well staring straight back and she couldn’t quite pull in the air needed to form the words. That was until the fear started to creep into those watching eyes and he started to pull back from her, started to retreat behind the walls. She didn’t need to breath to kiss him, though, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, feeling a giggle bubble up. “Yes,” she managed after a moment. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”

The tension seemed to melt from him and he pulled her up and into his arms. They held onto each other, for once not bothering to care about onlookers. For a few moments, they were the only ones in the world.

 

He’d never have imagined that taking on a secondary Dark One’s curse would actually help in the healing process. Though it was possible that the almost limitless power he’d held onto for just a few brief moments had finished knitting together wounds that his own magic hadn’t yet, Rumplestiltskin had a sneaky suspicion that it was actually the rush of magic that had washed away the rest of the physical pain. True Love’s kiss was a powerful bit of magic, and while the wounds caused by the dagger - both his own and Zoso’s - had been painful when Belle had come anywhere close to them, it seemed now that it had really just been the same necessary pain that came with any healing process. Her love forced the darkness out. It had fought back, strongly, but their love had won.

Zoso was dead, the dagger having most certainly done the trick, and the very same dagger now was nothing more than a relic. He’d put it away in his shop’s little safe where no one could access it without being able to access his own blood magic. It was done and with the Wicked Witch and the second raised Dark One both dealt with - likely commiserating at that very moment over their hatred of him from the Vault - Rumple felt like he could actually breathe for a moment.

“How’re you feeling?” a voice sounded behind him, startling him into turning. It was getting late, but he’d thought his son and grandson were asleep in the house. Ruby had been determined to take Belle out on a girl’s night to show off the pretty new ring that he’d fashioned for her and had taken Emma and several others along with them. He’d come down to the basement to spin, letting his mind wander through any loose ends that needed to be tied up.

“Oh, I’m fine, Bae,” the elder man answered from his place at the wheel.

“Still no urges to murder anyone for looking at you wrong?” his son asked with a smirk.

“No more than usual.”

Bae circled around him, pulling up a chair from the workbench and taking a seat. He was silent for several moments until his papa’s expert hand started to move again, the creak of the wheel filling the silence. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Needed to talk to you.”

Rumplestiltskin looked over to his son at the serious tone. He’d been waiting for this, though after several days had followed with no mention of it, he thought perhaps he’d let it slide. He’d taken the decision out of Bae’s hands and had acted, something that had always set badly with his boy. He doubted that a few centuries had done anything to change that. He doubted that an eternity would ever change that particular stubborn streak.

“Let’s take a walk, shall we?” he murmured, his voice calm and giving nothing of his understanding away. He grabbed for his cane and stood slowly, his ankle protesting as he put a bit of pressure on it, but the two men slowly made their way up the stairs and out into the small garden that Belle kept. The crisp night air felt good, like it might wash away the threatening conversation. Rumple finally turned to look at his son. “Now, what did you want to talk about?”

“I think he know what, Papa.”

Rumplestiltskin made a soft sound of acknowledgement. “I’m not going to lie to you, son. I did what I felt I had to do to protect Henry.”

Bae’s lips thinned and his brows were drawn closely together. “You took the choice away from me. He’s my son.”

“And what would you have done?” his father asked, voice not holding any of the bite that it would have for anyone else. “Killed Zoso? Then _you_ would have taken it on. This was the only way. I knew it, I just didn’t want to admit it until it was almost too late.” He’d been afraid. Afraid of making the wrong move, of chasing Bae away again.

Baelfire sighed, his eyes flickering to meet ones the same colour. “Is it always going to be like this?”

“I live in darkness so you don’t have to, remember?” Rumplestiltskin murmured softly, their earlier conversation doing something to ease the stress lines in his son’s face. He reached a hand out, but Bae didn’t take it right away. He stared at it for a moment.

“I didn’t bring this up right after because at first I was worried that it hadn’t really worked, you know? That you were hiding it.”

“Bae-”

“No, let me finish. I was pissed. I mean _really_ pissed. We’ve been over this kind of stuff.” He paused, as if seeing if Rumple would jump in again but his papa refused to break silence. Bae wanted to speak his mind and he had every right. He wouldn’t stop him and he wouldn’t fight it. After a moment, though, he realized his son’s hands were gripped tightly into fists at his side and he seemed be holding something back. He was about ready to say something - plead with him, anything - when Bae reached forward very suddenly and wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him into a crushing hug. “Not sure when I realized that I wasn’t pissed, I was scared.”

Rumplestiltskin felt his heart clench in his chest and he returned the embrace. “Of what, son?” he coaxed softly and he could hear the tears in the younger man’s voice.

“Of losing you to it all over again.”

Then his heart shattered and he found himself holding onto him like he had when he was a small boy, shaking and afraid. “It’s alright, Bae,” he promised softly. “It’s alright. I swear to you that I’m never going to leave you again.”

“I know,” Baelfire managed. “I know, Papa.”

 

Growing up, Emma had been more of a beer-in-the-back-of-a-truck sort of girl than a wild partier. She moved around too much to have more than a few friends, so the party scene had always been a bit foreign to her. She had to admit, though, Ruby knew how to have fun when she wanted to, and she’d never been more grateful that Neal had been happy to watch after Henry that night.

Belle had driven back to the house and was currently supporting the elder woman as she swayed a little on her tall heels. “I think that last shot could have been left for another time,” she offered with a small laugh.

“I think the last three could have been,” Emma managed and stopped just a moment to steady herself. She had a high tolerance, but apparently the last rounds of crazy had finally driven her over that limit.

“Maybe so,” Belle answered as she reached towards the door and Emma felt the magic working as it unlocked under her touch. She’d felt waves of magic before, but if she weren’t looking for them they were usually large, like the one that had rushed out from Gold and Belle when she’d kissed him a few days earlier and broken the second curse. She didn’t know if the fact that her little-more-than-tipsy-self could recognize a spell better than her sober self was disconcerting or not. She’d have to try to remember to ask Regina.

The lights were on in the front room as they entered and Neal and his father were sitting on the couch, the conversation strangely easy between them in comparison to how it used to be. They both looked up, like deer caught in the headlights, and in that moment she saw a resemblance that she couldn’t always see. Their expressions were mirrors of each other and they looked like they’d been caught making some sort of mischievous plan. “Okay,” she muttered as her eyes went from face to face. “Now I get it.”

“Get what?” Neal asked, his expression breaking into that grin that told her beyond any shadow of doubt that they were up to no good.

“I just… Weird. No more weird.”

“I think Emma could do with a cup of coffee,” Belle murmured to her side.

Neal unfolded himself. “Got it,” he said, his eyes still dancing.

Emma hadn’t realized she’d kicked her shoes off when she entered, but the wooden floors were cold against her bare feet as he guided her gently to the kitchen. She leaned in and he wrapped an arm around her, carefully guiding her past the island in the middle and over to where the coffee maker was. She watched him as he reached for things in the kitchen like this had been the house he had grown up. Slowly, carefully, she turned so she could glance past the half wall and into the room where Belle had taken a seat with her True Love and they were speaking quietly. She was leaned into him, her head resting against his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head as she told him about their evening.

“You think we’ll be like that?” Emma asked without really meaning to. When she looked back, Neal had paused mid-movement and was slowly shifting to look at her.

“Like what?”

She didn’t miss the hesitation his voice and she rolled her eyes. “Like your dad and Belle. True Love and all that. Do you think that’s us? Don’t lie. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

         “No you won’t.”

         “Yes I will,” she answered, sounding entirely offended.

         That smile that she loved tilted his lips. It wasn’t the grin that spread across his entire face - though she certainly liked that one too - but the one that she knew came with him being honest with her. “I hope so. I know you’re mine.”

She leaned against the island, focused entirely on him. “How?”

He turned back to the coffee maker and finished shuffling the beans into it even as he spoke “When Belle and I were in my dad’s castle in the Enchanted Forest I found your necklace tucked away in my pocket. She told me it’d come through because you were my True Love.”

“That’s how you know?”

“Nah. I knew it long before then.”

“When?”

“When I first met you.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Did so. Why do you think I stuck my neck out for you when that cop pulled us over?”

She laughed and he pulled two coffee cups down, pouring just the right amount of creamer in them. As he poured the coffee in she wanted to ask him why he really left. If he thought they were True Loves, why had he let her go, but she paused, finding that the strange fluttering feeling in her chest stopped her. That was in the past and they were heading into a future. He handed her the mug and she set it down on the counter behind him and leaned in, her lips pressing against his. There was a rush, pure and fantastic. It filled her up and did away with all the fears. If this wasn’t True Love, she wasn’t sure she’d ever know what was.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me so long on this! Sorry for the long hiatus in the middle. I'll be posting a story called 'Burn the Worlds' shortly :)


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